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New semiconductor material could open possibilities for solar cells and optoelectronics
Apr. 4, 2026 at 7:48am
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Researchers at Rice University have created a new type of two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor that is more symmetrical than previous perovskite materials, allowing energy to move through the material without getting trapped. This advance could lead to improvements in solar cells, photodetectors, and other optoelectronic devices.
The new 2D perovskite material exhibits exceptional exciton transport properties, on par with the best 2D materials like transition metal dichalcogenides. This could enable more efficient solar cells and optoelectronic devices by allowing the material to better capture and transport light energy.
The researchers engineered a multilayered 2D perovskite that is nearly perfectly symmetrical, unlike typical perovskites which are prone to structural distortions. This allows energy-carrying excitons to propagate through the material for over 2 micrometers without losing energy. The team used a novel crystal growth method to lock in the desired structure before it could transform. The added thickness of the multilayered material also allows it to capture a broader portion of the solar spectrum.
Rice’s William M. Rice Trustee Professor, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and faculty director of the Rice Engineering Initiative for Energy Transition and Sustainability.
A Rice Ph.D. alum and postdoctoral researcher in the Mohite research group, who is a co-first author on the study.
A materials science and nanoengineering Ph.D. student at Rice, who was the first author on the study.
A graduate student at Northwestern University working in the research group of Mercouri Kanatzidis, who was a co-corresponding author alongside Mohite.
A professor at Northwestern University and co-corresponding author on the study.
“It is as close to perfectly symmetrical as you can find in a crystal, and, to the best of our knowledge, it is the first time this has been demonstrated in a multilayered 2D perovskite system at room temperature.”
— Aditya Mohite, Rice’s William M. Rice Trustee Professor, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and faculty director of the Rice Engineering Initiative for Energy Transition and Sustainability
“In two directions, it looks like a perovskite, and in the third direction, three perovskite layers are connected together. Before, people had only been able to connect two perovskite layers using this chemically stable formamidinium cation inside those layers. This is the first time that someone has connected three or more layers in this configuration.”
— Isaac Metcalf, Rice Ph.D. alum and postdoctoral researcher in the Mohite research group
“The more sunlight it can absorb, the better a solar cell it can be, which is why people are excited about this.”
— Isaac Metcalf, Rice Ph.D. alum and postdoctoral researcher in the Mohite research group
“One of the big challenges with tandems right now is the wide band gap material. The 2D perovskites we are developing have enhanced stability. And this specific 2D perovskite has a near ideal band gap to pair with silicon or any other perovskite or semiconductor”
— Faiz Mandani, Rice Ph.D. alum and study co-author
The researchers plan to further explore the potential of the new 2D perovskite material in solar cells, photodetectors, and other optoelectronic applications.
This breakthrough in 2D perovskite design represents a significant advance in the quest for more efficient and versatile semiconductor materials for renewable energy and advanced electronics. The ability to create highly symmetrical perovskite structures could unlock new possibilities in solar power, sensing, and quantum technologies.
Apr. 4, 2026
Apr. 4, 2026
Apr. 4, 2026
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FRV gets consent for 183.6 MW solar projects in Spain  renewablesnow.com
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TCL Zhonghuan has reached a definitive agreement to take majority control of solar manufacturer DAS Solar, according to a report from pv magazine. The transaction is described as one of the most closely watched solar sector consolidation deals of the current year.
The Shenzhen-listed unit of TCL Technology finalized the transaction documents on March 30. This followed a 90-day exclusive negotiation period that began after a framework agreement was signed on January 16.
Under the agreement, TCL Zhonghuan will pay a cash sum of 1.258 billion yuan. This includes 258 million yuan to acquire a portion of existing equity and 1 billion yuan in new capital. The transaction results in TCL Zhonghuan holding 55.56% of the post-investment equity and implies a pre-investment valuation of 800 million yuan. The company will also receive voting rights over an additional stake from the founder and affiliated partnerships.
Upon completion, TCL Zhonghuan will hold 59.14% of DAS Solar and control 66.34% of its voting rights, making it a consolidated subsidiary. The deal has been approved by the acquirer’s board and does not require shareholder approval. Remaining steps include state asset and antitrust approvals.
DAS Solar, founded in 2018, specializes in n-type solar technologies. By the end of 2025, it had built significant production capacity for cells and modules. The company has been active in bidding for projects involving n-type TOPCon and BC modules in recent years.
Financially, DAS Solar reported substantial liabilities and negative net assets as of the end of 2025. The acquisition is seen as a move by TCL Zhonghuan to extend its operations downstream from wafers into cell and module production, enhancing vertical integration. The combination could accelerate the commercialization of back-contact technology.
Industry perspectives on the deal are mixed. Supporters view it as a low-cost acquisition of a strategic asset at a depressed valuation and a sign of broader industry consolidation. Cited risks include near-term earnings pressure from the target’s losses, potential goodwill impairment, and operational integration challenges.
This report provides a comprehensive view of the solar cells and light-emitting diodes industry in China, tracking demand, supply, and trade flows across the national value chain. It explains how demand across key channels and end-use segments shapes consumption patterns, while also mapping the role of input availability, production efficiency, and regulatory standards on supply.
Beyond headline metrics, the study benchmarks prices, margins, and trade routes so you can see where value is created and how it moves between domestic suppliers and international partners. The analysis is designed to support strategic planning, market entry, portfolio prioritization, and risk management in the solar cells and light-emitting diodes landscape in China.
The report combines market sizing with trade intelligence and price analytics for China. It covers both historical performance and the forward outlook to 2035, allowing you to compare cycles, structural shifts, and policy impacts.
This report provides a consistent view of market size, trade balance, prices, and per-capita indicators for China. The profile highlights demand structure and trade position, enabling benchmarking against regional and global peers.
The analysis is built on a multi-source framework that combines official statistics, trade records, company disclosures, and expert validation. Data are standardized, reconciled, and cross-checked to ensure consistency across time series.
All data are normalized to a common product definition and mapped to a consistent set of codes. This ensures that comparisons across time are aligned and actionable.
The forecast horizon extends to 2035 and is based on a structured model that links solar cells and light-emitting diodes demand and supply to macroeconomic indicators, trade patterns, and sector-specific drivers. The model captures both cyclical and structural factors and reflects known policy and technology shifts in China.
Each projection is built from national historical patterns and the broader regional context, allowing the report to show where growth is concentrated and where risks are elevated.
Prices are analyzed in detail, including export and import unit values, regional spreads, and changes in trade costs. The report highlights how seasonality, freight rates, exchange rates, and supply disruptions influence pricing and margins.
Key producers, exporters, and distributors are profiled with a focus on their operational scale, geographic footprint, product mix, and market positioning. This helps identify competitive pressure points, partnership opportunities, and routes to differentiation.
This report is designed for manufacturers, distributors, importers, wholesalers, investors, and advisors who need a clear, data-driven picture of solar cells and light-emitting diodes dynamics in China.
The market size aggregates consumption and trade data, presented in both value and volume terms.
The projections combine historical trends with macroeconomic indicators, trade dynamics, and sector-specific drivers.
Yes, it includes export and import unit values, regional spreads, and a pricing outlook to 2035.
The report benchmarks market size, trade balance, prices, and per-capita indicators for China.
Yes, it highlights demand hotspots, trade routes, pricing trends, and competitive context.
Making Data-Driven Decisions to Grow Your Business
A Quick Overview of Market Performance
Understanding the Current State of The Market and its Prospects
Finding New Products to Diversify Your Business
Choosing the Best Countries to Establish Your Sustainable Supply Chain
Choosing the Best Countries to Boost Your Export
The Latest Trends and Insights into The Industry
The Largest Import Supplying Countries
The Largest Destinations for Exports
The Largest Producers on The Market and Their Profiles
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Bird Proofing Clips HOMTOO 100-Pack Guard Clips – 304 Stainless Steel J-Hook Fasteners For Bird Wire Mesh, 25mm Washers Solar Panel  RuhrkanalNEWS
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The U.S. solar industry faces a critical shortage of 53,000 workers as developers rush to meet July 4, 2026 construction deadlines to secure federal tax credits.
An MN8 Energy installation on a brownfield, built for Brown University.
Image: Brown University
The U.S. solar industry faces a critical shortage of skilled labor as developers rush to meet the July 4, 2026, construction deadline mandated by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).
Analysis from the 2025 U.S. Energy & Employment Report (USEER) and the IREC National Solar Jobs Census reveals that while the industry now supports over 280,000 workers, the supply of qualified personnel is failing to keep pace with accelerated project timelines.
Projections suggest the industry requires approximately 355,000 workers by late 2026 to support installation targets of 60 GW to 70 GW, leaving a projected near-term gap of 53,000 positions.
Hiring difficulty remains a systemic challenge, with 86% of solar employers reporting some level of difficulty filling open positions according to the 2025 USEER. This issue is most acute in the utility-scale sector, where 27% of firms describe hiring for installation and project development roles as very difficult.
The talent gap is particularly pronounced for mid-level technical roles and management positions, with 47% of firms reporting significant hurdles in hiring directors and supervisors. The shortages are primarily driven by a lack of candidates with specialized industry experience, technical training, or specific certifications required for increasingly complex high-voltage and AI-integrated systems, said USEER.
The 2026 apprenticeship mandate adds a layer of regulatory pressure to existing labor shortages. Under current federal guidelines, projects must ensure that 15% of total labor hours are performed by qualified apprentices to secure the full value of the Section 45Y and 48E tax credits.
However, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council Census indicates that only 43% of the U.S. workforce currently has access to the skills training necessary for these roles. This disparity is forcing a shift in how the industry approaches workforce development, as Tier-1 developers move away from third-party labor providers to build internal training pipelines.
To bridge the gap, the sector is increasingly focused on attracting veteran candidates and workers from transitioning fossil fuel industries. Efforts are complemented by the deployment of digital documentation tools and automated site-tracking software, which allow smaller teams of expert journey-level workers to oversee larger groups of semi-skilled laborers.
In 2026, the ability to secure a compliant, documented workforce has become a determining factor in project bankability, along with interconnection and supply chain stability as leading development risks.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
More articles from Ryan Kennedy
They should do away with these labor section 45Y and 48E tax credits on these projects. It is becoming harder and harder (and will only get worst as time passes) to meet these requirements as the two year apprentice time line happens pretty quickly and to fill those spots behind the new JM is difficult. We should go back to how it use to before the IRA and let companies train their own people with all this hassle.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers （IBEW） already has a fully developed apprenticeship program covering the United States and Canada. Apprentices, journeymen, Forman and project supervisors are all available to go to work right now. The fact most of these projects want only cheap labor rather than skilled labor to keep cost down and profits up, the added cost per set panel by skilled union labor only adds 5% to 7% to the bided price but adds quality of workmanship to cause less call-backs when the project is done. The IBEW and the National Electrical Contractors Association （NECA） have the management and labor skills to do work anywhere in North America. Permanent installations deserve permanent industrial equivalents and for over one hundred years, the IBEW and NECA have built America’s and Canada’s infrastructure strong.
This is exactly what we’re seeing across the market right now. The gap isn’t just about volume, it’s about access to qualified, compliant, and project-ready talent at the pace these timelines demand.
At The Imagine Group, we’ve been supporting solar manufacturers, EPCs, and developers through similar challenges, whether that’s rapid workforce ramp-ups, hard-to-fill technical roles, or building out project teams under tight deadlines.
The apprenticeship and compliance component is also a big shift. It’s not just hiring anymore, it’s about structured workforce strategies, documentation, and alignment with evolving federal requirements.
There’s a real opportunity here for organizations to rethink how they approach talent, leveraging supplemental partners, expanding sourcing strategies, and building scalable pipelines that can flex with demand.
The next 12–18 months will be critical, and the teams that can align workforce strategy with project timelines are going to be the ones that stay ahead.
If anyone is navigating similar challenges and wants to connect, always happy to be a resource: aperez@imaginestaffing.net.
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The Norwegian renewable energy company Scatec ASA (OSE: SCATC) has reached financial close and initiated construction on the Barzalosa solar power plant in Colombia. The project, located in the municipio of Nariño within the department of Cundinamarca, has a planned capacity of 130 MWp. Total capital expenditure for the facility is estimated at $121 million USD.
The financing structure for the project is based on a 70% leverage model, utilizing a combination of equity and non-recourse debt. Scatec holds a 65% equity stake in the venture, while Norfund, the Norwegian investment fund for developing countries, provides the remaining 35%. The senior debt was provided by Bancolombia S.A. (NYSE: CIB; BVC: BCOLOMBIA) and the Financiera de Desarrollo Nacional (FDN).
The Financiera de Desarrollo Nacional committed a total of 200,358 million COP to the project. This includes a senior debt facility of up to 164,458 million COP with a term of 18 years, representing approximately 50% of the total project debt. Additionally, the FDN provided a bank guarantee of up to 35,900 million COP to substitute reserve accounts for debt service and operation and maintenance costs. The FDN also acted as a co-structurer for the financial framework of the operation.
“The financing of the Barzalosa project reflects the capacity of the FDN to structure long-term financial solutions that make strategic energy transition projects in Colombia viable,” said Enrique Cadena, Vice President of Structured Finance at the FDN.
The law firm Holland & Knight served as legal counsel to the lenders, Bancolombia and FDN, in the COP 330 billion financing transaction. The legal team was led by partner María Juliana Saa, with support from partner Inés Elvira Vesga and associates Juan Sebastián Parra and Juan Felipe Alonso. Other legal and financial advisors involved in the transaction included Cuatrecasas, which advised the borrower; Brigard Urrutia, which advised FDN regarding the credit facility; and Astris Finance, which provided financial structuring advice.
Revenue for the plant will be supported by a 15-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with BTG Pactual Comercializadora de Energía (BVMF: BPAC11). The agreement covers 85% of the estimated energy production and is denominated in Colombian pesos, with adjustments based on the Producer Price Index. The remaining 15% of production will be sold on the Colombian spot market. The project is also eligible for the Cargo por Confiabilidad (reliability charge) and may access resources from the Inter-American Development Bank and the Climate Investment Funds.
Construction includes the installation of the solar array and the development of a six-kilometer transmission line to connect the plant to the national grid. Scatec is acting as the lead developer and the designated Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) provider, covering approximately 70% of the capital expenditure. The company will also manage operations, maintenance, and asset management. The Barzalosa plant is expected to reach its commercial operation date in the first half of 2027.

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OLIVIA — Brothers Larry Rauenhorst and Rolly Rauenhorst believe the future belongs to electrification, and their conviction goes well beyond the vehicles driven on roadways.
It goes all the way to the Renville County farm field that Larry Rauenhorst, now retired from farming, rents to an active farmer. The two brothers installed 10 towers standing 12 feet above the ground. The towers are dispersed from each other and hold a total of 80 solar electric generation panels.
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The brothers are working with the University of Minnesota Morris to examine the feasibility of solar generation in farm operations. The towers are tall enough to allow crops to grow under them and combines and tractors to work around them.
The University will help measure crop loss resulting from the shade cast by the elevated panels, as well as the value of the electricity they generate for the farming operations. The panels feed power to an on-site charging station for an electric tractor that will be used for seeding, tilling and harvesting the crops raised in the field.
The brothers want to connect the 37-kilowatt capacity system to the Renville-Sibley Cooperative Power Association lines that serve a business across from the field and other neighboring farm places. Their plan is to feed excess power to the grid as allowed by Minnesota’s net metering law.
The law requires utilities to pay the renewable energy generator at its average retail rate for the electricity. To qualify for the retail rate, the self-generation must be under 40 kilowatts.
The brothers and the small electric cooperative, with 1,564 members, are now locked in a dispute that extends beyond the farm field. It is headed to the district court and to St. Paul.
The brothers said Larry Rauenhorst signed interconnection agreements with the cooperative twice to produce power at the farm field, which previously did not have electric service but is located in the cooperative’s service territory. Each agreement was canceled by the cooperative, they said.
Larry Rauenhorst filed a complaint with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission asking it to direct the cooperative to allow him to connect the system and to pay him at the retail rate for the power it produces. The PUC will first decide whether it has jurisdiction to hear the complaint.
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Rauenhorst also filed a complaint in District Court in Renville County seeking a judge’s order to compel the cooperative to pay the retail rate for electricity produced by the system.
The cooperative told the Rauenhorsts it would not compensate them for the excess power generated by the panels at the retail rate. It offered instead to provide compensation at a lower rate based on the costs for power on the wholesale market.
The cooperative also informed the brothers that, to resolve the dispute, they would need to follow the cooperative’s bylaws, which require arbitration.
The cooperative says that the Public Utilities Commission lacks jurisdiction and should not hear the complaint. Rural cooperatives are not regulated by the PUC, it pointed out. It has responded similarly to the civil lawsuit, claiming that this dispute should be resolved by the arbitration requirement in its bylaws.
Rolly Rauenhorst said the cooperative’s refusal to pay the retail rate represents a “clear violation” of Minnesota’s net metering law, and they should not have to go to mediation or arbitration.
The cooperative says it is not obligated to pay the retail rate because it does not believe the system installed in a farm field meets the spirit of the net metering law, Renville-Sibley Cooperative CEO DeeAnn Norris told the brothers in a letter, as well as in a response filed with the Public Utilities Commission. The system does not serve a house, farm or business that would exist regardless of the presence of renewable energy. It does not offset the power that they would otherwise purchase, she stated.
The cooperative’s CEO argues that paying the retail rate imposes a significant cost burden on the other members of the cooperative and is unfair to them.
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“Compensation structures that require the cooperative to pay retail rates for energy generated in an empty field that did not have a pre-existing service result in costs that are unfairly shared by all members,” Norris stated in an email to the West Central Tribune.
The CEO pointed out that the cooperative is one of the smallest of the rural cooperatives in the state. Its operating margins are small: It showed net operating revenues of under $54,000 in 2024 and under $30,000 in 2025.
Norris said the cooperative has worked with the Rauenhorsts and answered their questions about the unique system since 2022. It has offered to resolve the dispute through the cooperative’s resolution process, in place since 2018, and to pay 90% of the mediation or arbitration costs, according to Norris.
The CEO also maintains that the cooperative supports renewable energy and has worked with many of its members to interconnect solar and other distributed-generation projects.
The Rauenhorsts charge that the cooperative only recently added an arbitration requirement in place of mediation.
The Rauenhorsts estimate that, at this point, they have missed out on generating $12,000 worth of electricity because the system is not connected to the grid. They said they invested more than $80,000 in the equipment and performed much of the installation work. Larry Rauenhorst assembled a hammer with 300,000 pounds of thrust to drive the poles holding the solar panels 12 feet into the ground.
If they were to receive the retail rate for the electricity, they estimate the system could pay for itself in six to eight years. Being able to qualify for the net metering revenues was important to their decision to go forward with the project, they said.
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“As farmers, you don’t want to just spend money and throw it away. You want to have a return on what you’re doing,” Rolly Rauenhorst told the West Central Tribune.
The brothers worked with Minnesota Renewable Energy Incorporated of Glencoe to install the system. Company president Aaron Busse said he has assisted with more than 500 interconnection agreements between self-generation systems and utilities. He’s never had a utility refuse to pay the retail rate.
Busse stated in a letter to the Public Utilities Commission that the brothers met with the cooperative early in the design phase to ensure they were following all steps correctly. He said they were “ambushed” by board members and cooperative representatives who showed up and told the brothers they could not build the project.
Net metering has been the law in Minnesota since 1981 and has been the foundation of the state’s renewable energy industry, according to Busse. He is among a number of renewable-energy advocates who have filed briefs with the PUC in support of the brothers.
The Minnesota Rural Electric Association is among the organizations that have filed briefs in support of the local cooperative. It represents the 50 rural electric cooperatives in the state.
At this point, many of the initial filings with the Public Utilities Commission focus on whether it has jurisdiction to hear the dispute. The Renville-Sibley Cooperative, like other rural cooperatives, has adopted bylaws that it argues exempt it from state regulation that applies to larger, investor-owned utilities. Rural cooperatives are governed by democratically elected boards, the co-op explains, citing a state statute that exempts rural cooperatives and municipal utilities from regulation.
Those arguing for the Public Utilities Commission to hear the case state that it does have jurisdiction. The PUC cannot regulate the electric rates cooperatives charge, but it has authority over their policies, they state. They also contend in their briefs that since the cooperative imposed a requirement for arbitration in its bylaws, it lost its immunity from state regulation.
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Rolly Rauenhorst has attended informational meetings hosted by the cooperative, and he tells other members there of the dispute. At one meeting, the cooperative showed a video produced for Twin Cities Public Television’s “Almanac” program that highlights the brothers’ idea of producing electricity in farm fields, instead of displacing farm land with solar panels.
“I don’t see a compromise,” said Rolly Rauenhorst when asked if he would be open to one to resolve the dispute. “What is there? They either pay the retail rate or not. The law is clear.”

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According to Solar Power World, Geronimo Power has initiated commercial operations at its Dodson Creek Solar Project, located in Highland County, Ohio. The facility has a capacity of 117 megawatts.
Andy Cukurs, the company’s chief operating officer, stated that the project expands the firm’s commitment to Ohio. With this addition, Geronimo Power’s total operational portfolio in the state has reached 675 megawatts, which the company associates with substantial economic benefit over the project lifespan.
During the construction phase, the project’s workforce peaked at 125 individuals. The engineering, procurement, and construction partner for the build was Kiewit Power Constructors. A vice president from Kiewit noted the project’s completion reflects a successful partnership and supports regional clean energy and economic objectives.
The solar installation utilizes Series 7 photovoltaic modules from First Solar. A representative from First Solar indicated that its technology contributes to the project, highlighting domestic manufacturing and economic growth alongside energy needs.
Over two decades of operation, the solar project is expected to generate significant new tax revenue for local county, township, school, and emergency service entities. Separately, Geronimo Power has committed to providing a sum of money to charitable groups and organizations in Highland County through a dedicated fund.
This report provides a comprehensive view of the global solar cells and light-emitting diodes industry, tracking demand, supply, and trade flows across the worldwide value chain. It explains how demand across key channels and end-use segments shapes consumption patterns, while also mapping the role of input availability, production efficiency, and regulatory standards on supply.
Beyond headline metrics, the study benchmarks prices, margins, and trade routes so you can see where value is created and how it moves between exporters and importers worldwide. The analysis is designed to support strategic planning, market entry, portfolio prioritization, and risk management in the global solar cells and light-emitting diodes landscape.
The report combines market sizing with trade intelligence and price analytics. It covers both historical performance and the forward outlook to 2035, allowing you to compare cycles, structural shifts, and policy impacts across countries and regions.
For the global report, country profiles provide a consistent view of market size, trade balance, prices, and per-capita indicators. The profiles highlight the largest consuming and producing markets and allow direct benchmarking across peers.
The analysis is built on a multi-source framework that combines official statistics, trade records, company disclosures, and expert validation. Data are standardized, reconciled, and cross-checked to ensure consistency across time series.
All data are normalized to a common product definition and mapped to a consistent set of codes. This ensures that comparisons across time are aligned and actionable.
The forecast horizon extends to 2035 and is based on a structured model that links solar cells and light-emitting diodes demand and supply to macroeconomic indicators, trade patterns, and sector-specific drivers. The model captures both cyclical and structural factors and reflects known policy and technology shifts.
Each country projection is built from its own historical pattern and the regional context, allowing the report to show where growth is concentrated and where risks are elevated.
Prices are analyzed in detail, including export and import unit values, regional spreads, and changes in trade costs. The report highlights how seasonality, freight rates, exchange rates, and supply disruptions influence pricing and margins.
Key producers, exporters, and distributors are profiled with a focus on their operational scale, geographic footprint, product mix, and market positioning. This helps identify competitive pressure points, partnership opportunities, and routes to differentiation.
This report is designed for manufacturers, distributors, importers, wholesalers, investors, and advisors who need a clear, data-driven picture of global solar cells and light-emitting diodes dynamics.
The market size aggregates consumption and trade data at country and regional levels, presented in both value and volume terms.
The projections combine historical trends with macroeconomic indicators, trade dynamics, and sector-specific drivers.
Yes, it includes export and import unit values, regional spreads, and a pricing outlook to 2035.
The report provides profiles for the largest consuming and producing countries, enabling benchmarking across peers.
Yes, it highlights demand hotspots, trade routes, pricing trends, and competitive context.
Making Data-Driven Decisions to Grow Your Business
A Quick Overview of Market Performance
Understanding the Current State of The Market and its Prospects
Finding New Products to Diversify Your Business
Choosing the Best Countries to Establish Your Sustainable Supply Chain
Choosing the Best Countries to Boost Your Export
The Latest Trends and Insights into The Industry
The Largest Import Supplying Countries
The Largest Destinations for Exports
The Largest Producers on The Market and Their Profiles
The Largest Markets And Their Profiles
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“This is absolutely amazing.”
Photo Credit: Reddit
As electricity bills in the U.S. continue to climb, more and more homeowners are looking to cut ties with their energy companies. 
One homeowner took to Reddit to share the solar panel and battery setup they use to energize their home while living off-grid. 
In the short clip, the homeowner explains that they spent a little under two decades slowly but steadily improving their energy security. The original poster’s current system includes six solar panels, three small batteries, and a few other supporting devices. 
(Click here to watch the video if the embed does not appear.)
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.
The OP discusses how they found their solar panels on Facebook Marketplace and only paid $600 for all six. Including the power controller, batteries, and an inverter, it appears their entire off-grid set up cost around $6,000. 
“I’ve been living off the grid for almost 20 years and have slowly improved my equipment,” the OP wrote in the video’s caption. “Finally I have a set-up that can run just about anything I would use if I was on the grid.”
Pairing solar panels with batteries is one of the most effective ways to say goodbye to the grid and avoid rising electricity costs. TCD partner EnergySage has completely free resources to get quick estimates for solar installations and makes it simple to compare competitive quotes. 
Under the post, users were quick to add their own thoughts on the OP’s off-grid setup. 
FROM OUR PARTNER
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.
“Impressive and inspiring,” one commenter wrote. 
“This is absolutely amazing,” another said. “I think more people would take advantage of these types of setups if they knew they existed. Lots of places have electric bills going up with little transparency from electric companies as to why.” 
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If you’re ready to make your home more resilient and dodge the hassle of frequent power outages, you may want to think about using EnergySage’s free tools to learn more about your energy options. Homeowners can save up to $10,000 on installation costs by consulting with EnergySage advisors. 
EnergySage’s free mapping tool even compares the cost of solar panels on a state-by-state level, offering information on all of the incentives in your area. This is vital to finding a competitive price for solar technology and securing the most lucrative discounts and rebates available to you. 
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If you want to go fully off-grid, then you’ll likely need home battery backups to pair with your solar panels. However, most homeowners with a grid connection don’t know that home batteries can also help reduce energy costs by storing power during the day to use at night when electricity rates are often at their most expensive. 
Luckily, EnergySage’s advisors can help you learn about home energy storage solutions and connect you with competitive installation estimates.
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Solar panels at FMPA’s newly commissioned Whistling Duck Solar Facility.

Solar panels at FMPA’s newly commissioned Whistling Duck Solar Facility.
The Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA), the wholesale power provider for Keys Energy Services (KEYS) and 15 other Florida public power utilities, recently dedicated the Whistling Duck Solar Facility on March 18 in Levy County.
This marks the final phase of the Florida Municipal Solar Project (FMSP), a large-scale initiative designed to provide affordable, emissions-free electricity to customers across the state.
The Whistling Duck facility generates a total of 79.4 megawatts (MW) of solar energy, 27 MW of which are specifically for KEYS. (A megawatt is a unit of power equal to one million watts.) This increase allows KEYS to further diversify its energy portfolio, providing a strategic hedge against the volatility of the fuel markets, according to KEYS officials.
Whistling Duck is the third utility-scale solar site providing renewable energy to KEYS through its partnership with FMPA and the FMSP. The utility’s solar portfolio also includes 12.5 MW from the Rice Creek Solar Facility in Putnam County and 3.5 MW from the Harmony Solar Facility in Osceola County. Together, these three sites produce a combined 43 MW of clean energy for KEYS’ customers, which is approximately 13.5% of local power needs.
There were no up-front costs for the participating municipal electric utilities. KEYS pays only for the power purchased.
“Our customers want solar energy, but it needs to be economical,” said Lynne Tejeda, KEYS’ general manager and CEO. “By working together with our fellow Florida public power utilities, we were able to be part of a large-scale project that enables us to provide affordable, emissions-free electricity to our customers.”
For more information, visit www.FMPA.com/Solar.
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Mulilo Secures Commercial Close for 76 MW BESS and 337 MW Solar PV Projects, Strengthening South Africa’s Grid and Clean Energy Pipeline  solarquarter.com
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Victron Energy Demonstrates Integrated Energy Solutions at Solar & Storage Live Africa 2026 in Johannesburg  SolarQuarter
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The cost of solar PV projects using Indian-made tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) modules fell by over 3.4% in Q4 2025, according to Mercom India Research.
Average PV equipment costs for large-scale solar projects in India showed mixed trends in the fourth quarter of 2025, Mercom said in its Q4 & Annual 2025 India Solar Market Update Report. Projects using Indian modules recorded consistent quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) declines, while systems built with Chinese tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) modules saw QoQ cost increases. 
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Domestic content requirement (DCR)-compliant Indian TOPCon projects fell by over 3.4% during the quarter, with non-DCR TOPCon systems down nearly 3%. DCR-compliant Indian mono PERC projects declined by 2.8%, while non-DCR mono passivated emitter rear contact (PERC) configurations dropped 2.4%. 
Projects using Chinese mono PERC modules recorded a 1.3% QoQ decline, with YoY costs falling by 5.8%. In contrast, Chinese TOPCon-based projects saw a 2.7% QoQ increase, reflecting higher Chinese cell prices following reductions in VAT export rebates and rising polysilicon prices. 
Despite these steeper quarterly declines compared with some Chinese module categories, Indian module-based systems continued to operate at structurally higher overall cost levels, Mercom said. On a year-on-year (YoY) basis, DCR-compliant and non-DCR Indian mono PERC system costs declined by 2.7% and 7.9%, respectively, though the cost premium linked to domestic manufacturing and DCR compliance remained intact. 
Across technologies, system cost movements ranged from a decline of over 3.4% to an increase of 2.7% in Q4 2025. However, the overall cost hierarchy remained unchanged, with Chinese module-based systems maintaining a clear pricing advantage over Indian and DCR-compliant alternatives. 
Chinese mono PERC modules accounted for the lowest share of total system costs at 39.7%, highlighting their competitive edge driven by large-scale manufacturing and mature supply chains. By comparison, Indian TOPCon DCR-compliant modules represented the highest share at 61.9%, reflecting higher domestic production costs, limited manufacturing scale and the added premium of DCR compliance.  
TOPCon DCR-based projects were the most expensive configuration, with costs approximately 37% to 38% higher than projects using Chinese modules and marginally above mono PERC DCR deployments. 
Beyond modules, other cost components showed modest easing, the report said, with power conditioning units, primarily solar inverters, declining by 0.6% in Q4 2025 and accounting for 4.3% to 6.8% of total system costs. The marginal reduction reflects stable supply conditions and limited price volatility in inverter components. 
Mercom previously reported that India installed a record 36.6GW of solar PV in 2025, up 43% from 25GW the year before. Annual additions exceeded 30GW for the first time, lifting cumulative capacity to 136GW by December 2025. Solar accounted for 68% of all new power capacity added during the year. 

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The Photovoltaics (PV) team supports research and development projects that lower manufacturing costs, increase efficiency and performance, and improve reliability of PV technologies, in order to support the widespread deployment of electricity produced directly from sunlight (“photovoltaics”). The PV portfolio includes research directed toward reaching a levelized cost of energy of $0.03 per kilowatt-hour.
With the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of photovoltaics having decreased by roughly 90% since 2011, the PV team focuses on opportunities for even greater cost reductions to reach a LCOE of $0.03/kWh. This will allow for costs of several cents/kWh to address dispatchability and grid performance (e.g. for energy storage devices, demand side management, grid operation and planning, and advanced power electronics) while maintaining cost competitiveness.
The figure below illustrates different technology pathways to reaching the 2030 goal of $0.03/kWh for subsidy-free utility-scale solar power.
Unless noted, all scenarios above assume one-axis tracking systems with 1,860 kWh(AC)/kW(DC), five-year MACRS, 7% weighted average cost of capital (WACC), 2.5% inflation, $0.85/W system cost, $4/kW-year O&M, 0.2%/year degradation and a 50-year system lifetime.
The PV team maintains U.S. leadership in PV R&D, with a strong record of impact over the past several decades. For example, over one half of the world’s PV cell efficiency records on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s chart were supported by the PV program and its predecessors.
The projects in the portfolio currently represent roughly $179 million of investment, made over periods from two to five years. Learn about these programs and projects.
The webpages linked below provide more information about key photovoltaic technologies:
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Sunview Consortium Secures RM1.96 Billion Contract for 595 MW Floating Solar Project in Malaysia  solarquarter.com
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Zambia has initiated the first application window for a new results-based financing mechanism, according to a report by pv magazine. The Carbon Feed In Premium Program is aimed at large-scale solar installations that connect to the national grid.
The program is being administered by the country’s Ministry of Green Economy and Environment and Ministry of Energy. Eligible participants include both national and international independent power producers, as well as the national power utility and its subsidiaries.
This initial bidding phase seeks to procure 300 megawatts of new solar capacity. Eligible projects must have a planned installed capacity between 30 and 100 megawatts. Each project is required to incorporate an on-site battery energy storage system with a minimum capacity duration.
All power generated by supported projects must be sold to the national utility under a power purchase agreement. An online information session for the program is scheduled for mid-April. The deadline for submitting expressions of interest is the end of May.
Funding for the initiative is provided through a bilateral agreement, with payments for verified emissions reductions from the projects. Industry data indicates there is already a significant amount of operational solar capacity in the country across numerous projects.
Recent developments in the Zambian solar sector include the completion of a 100-megawatt solar farm, which is currently the nation’s largest. Plans exist to expand that site, and construction is progressing on another separate 100-megawatt solar project in a different region.
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Plug-in solar panels could save a typical UK household £1,100 over their 15-year lifetime, according to Carbon Brief analysis.
In response to the ongoing energy crisis, the UK government announced on 15 March a package of clean-energy measures to “boost” energy security.
Among these was the introduction of “plug-in” solar panels to the UK, which would be available “within months” at retailers, according to the government.
A cost-benefit analysis by Carbon Brief finds that plug-in solar could provide 400 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity each year, enough to meet 15% of demand for a typical household.
This could save £110 on electricity bills each year, meaning the typical upfront cost of around £500 for an 800-watt (W) system could be paid back within five years, according to the analysis.
Assuming the plug-in system has a 15-year lifespan, total net savings could reach £1,100.
Compared to rooftop solar, smaller plug-in solar systems consisting of one to two panels can be easily installed on balconies, in gardens and other outdoor spaces. They can be plugged directly into home sockets without the need for additional wiring, reducing electricity taken from the grid and thereby cutting bills.
Plug-in solar has already taken off in Germany, with official registrations already exceeding 1m installations (the actual number could be up to 4m). Other growing markets include France, Spain, the Netherlands and the US.
Panels could be available in the UK “within months” at retailers, such as Lidl and Sainsbury’s, according to the government. (Many of the products from EcoFlow, one of the main providers of plug-in solar in the UK, are already sold out online.)
The government said it will work with relevant bodies to update electrical regulations to allow the use of plug-in solar. The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has advised homes to get their wiring checked before installing.
To assess the potential impact of plug-in solar, Carbon Brief conducted a cost-benefit analysis for an 800-watt (W) installation in a typical two-to-three bedroom home in London. The assumptions are approximate and will vary for different locations and set-ups.
Optimally placed panels – south-facing and tilted at around 40 degrees – would generate around 820 kilowatt hours (kWh) each year in London – at a “load factor” of 12% – according to the EU’s PVGIS database.
Actual output is likely to be lower, due to sub-optimal placement – such as vertically on balconies – as well as orientation and shading.
A report by trade body Solar Power Europe noted these factors could cut 30-60% from optimal output. This analysis assumes a 45% reduction from optimal output.
If a household is able to use 90% of the output – typical for such installations – then the panels would provide 400kWh of electricity each year, enough to meet 15% of typical demand.
This will vary on the household usage patterns, but running appliances such as washing machines during peak daylight hours could improve capture rates.
This could save £110 on electricity bills each year, meaning the upfront cost of around £500 could be paid back within 5 years, according to Carbon Brief’s analysis.
Assuming the panels last 15 years, total net savings over their lifetime could reach £1,100.
These savings assume a fixed unit cost of 27p/kWh, based on predictions for July 2026.
If electricity prices surged to 34p/kWh for a prolonged period – as they did during the 2022 gas price crisis – then annual savings could increase to around £140, further reducing the payback time.
If module costs fall over time as more suppliers enter the market, this could reduce the upfront cost and payback time.
If 3m households take up plug-in solar – comparable to Germany’s current deployment – this would generate 1.2 terawatt hours (TWh), less than 1% of UK demand.
While this would not significantly cut UK emissions overall, it could still save the households more than £330m in total and avoid around two tankers’ worth of imported liquified natural gas (LNG) each year, according to Carbon Brief’s analysis.
Aside from its economic benefits, plug-in solar could unlock participation in the clean-energy transition for a wider percentage of the population.
For example, renters make up around one-third of UK households and lack control over the installation of rooftop solar and heat pumps. Plug-in solar would enable them to engage in and benefit from clean energy in their homes.
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The  battery system uses lithium-ion technology across more than 700 containers. Its power capacity is 1,126 megawatts, with an energy capacity of 3,530 megawatt-hours, enough to sustain that output for roughly three hours. The Adani Group announced the project on November 11, 2025, The company has not disclosed the total investment amount. As of April 1, 2026, Adani had brought 1,376 megawatt-hours of capacity online at Khavda. But no updated completion date for the remaining capacity has been publicly stated.
Solar and wind fluctuate with weather and time of day. India’s grid needs power when the sun goes down and demand peaks.This battery absorbs excess daytime generation and discharges it in the evening, reducing reliance on fossil fuel plants. Adani says it will also ease transmission congestion and reduce curtailment when grids waste renewable power they can’t handle.
“Energy storage is the cornerstone of a renewable-powered future,” Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani said in the November announcement. “With this historic project, we are not only setting global benchmarks but also reinforcing our commitment to India’s energy independence and sustainability.”
Adani’s roadmap extends beyond this installation. The group plans to deploy an additional 15 gigawatt-hours of storage by March 2027. Its five year target is 50 gigawatt-hours total. For context, India’s Central Electricity Authority projects the country will need roughly 34 gigawatt-hours of battery storage capacity by 2026-27, rising to 236 gigawatt-hours by 2031-32. As of April 2025, only around 0.5 gigawatt-hours of battery storage had been commissioned across India, according to the India Energy Storage Alliance.
The Khavda park is already operating at scale. Adani Green Energy added more than 5 gigawatts of new renewable capacity in fiscal year 2025-26, the highest greenfield annual expansion by any company outside China. This brings its total operational portfolio to 19.3 gigawatts. Cumulative installed capacity at Khavda has reached 9.4 gigawatts of the 30 gigawatt target planned for 2029. The park spans 538 square kilometers, an area five times the size of Paris.
India has committed to reaching 500 gigawatts of non-fossil energy capacity by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2070. Storage determines whether intermittent generation can function as baseload power. The Khavda battery doesn’t just store electricity; it tests whether a project of this ambition can be built and operated at the pace India’s energy transition requires.

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How a ‘perfectly symmetrical’ 2D perovskite could boost tandem solar cells  Tech Xplore
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The Bluetti 60W folding solar panel is a clever, heavy-duty charging companion for hikers, camping and biking
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Heading off-grid on a multi-day hike or cycling trip usually involves some strategic battery management, While a heavy power bank is the usual safety net, a reliable portable solar panel allows you to generate your own free electricity on the move (so long as the weather cooperates).
The market is awash with portable solar chargers, ranging from flimsy dashboard toys to massive, rigid arrays designed to power a motorhome. The Bluetti 60W solar panel aims for the middle ground. It’s a 60W folding panel built with portability in mind, stripping away the bulky kickstands found on heavier camping panels in favour of a design that you can comfortably strap to your back or chuck in a crowded car boot.
It’s competitively priced too, costing around £99. I’ve been carrying Bluetti’s foldable panel out into the wild, propping it up against rucksacks and chasing the sunshine to see if the compact power plant is worth your money.
Read more: Best solar chargers, tried and tested
To see how the Bluetti 60W solar panel performs in the real world, I took it on a camping trip to Somerset. Admittedly the site had mains power, but I endeavoured to keep my kit charged using nothing but precious photons. I’ve added more detail about my testing at the end of this review.
Read more: Lidl to sell £400 plug-in solar panels – here’s everything you need to know
The immediate appeal of the Bluetti 60W solar panel is the form factor. Using a clever eight-fold design, the entire 90cm array collapses down into an impressively neat little square with a handle, roughly the footprint of a sheet of A4 paper. At 1.4kg, it has a reassuring heft to it without feeling like a burden in a backpack.
Bluetti has built this thing to survive the outdoors. The monocrystalline silicon panels are laminated with ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene), a highly durable, weatherproof polymer that resists scratches and shrugs off water. I happily laid it down in the damp dirt and chucked it into the boot of my car without much thought. It feels more robust than the fabric-heavy panels you often find at this price point.
To keep things foldable and slim, Bluetti has left out the kickstand. Solar panels need a direct, perpendicular line of sight to the sun to hit peak efficiency, which is hard to achieve without a set of adjustable legs. But in practice it wasn’t much of an issue. The folding design is flexible enough that you can easily prop it up against a rucksack or a tent to catch the afternoon rays.
It also features reinforced metal eyelets along the edges, a tough carrying handle and a secure button clip, giving you plenty of options to use the included carabiners to drape the panel over your backpack or your bike, soaking up the sun while you walk or ride.
If dialling in the perfect 45-degree angle to maximise every last watt is important, you might be better served by a heavier EcoFlow or Jackery panel (both of which I’ve tested and liked). But for throw-it-in-a-bag portability, the Bluetti 60W solar panel makes the right compromise. The USB-C port maxes out at half the panel’s rated wattage anyway, which still gives you plenty of headroom.
The Bluetti 60W solar panel is rated for 60W of power under perfect lab conditions. In the real world, at the height of summer, I managed to pull a respectable 50-55W of output through the DC5521 port and a consistent 30W fast-charging from the USB-C.
A quick glance at the spec sheet explains why the panel performs so reliably. With an operating voltage of 23.1V, the panel pushes a relatively high electrical pressure for a 60W panel. This means that when a cloud rolls over and the output inevitably drops into the teens, the panel maintains enough voltage to keep your devices sipping power, rather than repeatedly cutting in and out. The higher voltage also means the panel doesn’t cope well with partial shading, so keep an eye out for rogue shadows.
Connectivity is where the Bluetti 60W shows its versatility. Tucked away in a zipped pouch are three DC ports that can be used simultaneously. The first is a standard 12V-24V DC barrel (DC5521), which achieves the 60W output on the box and can be used to charge a power station. There’s also a USB-C port (PD30W, up to 20V-1.5A) for fast charging phones, and a USB-A port (18W, up to 12V-1.5A).
If you’re hiking or biking and want to top up your devices during a lunch stop, you can plug your phone or tablet directly into the USB ports. Under sunny conditions I recorded fast-charging speeds equivalent to a solid 30W wall charger, which is more than enough to resurrect a dead smartphone in a hurry. Alternatively, if you’re car camping, you can use the included DC cable to hook the panel up to a portable power station during the day for running three-pin electronics at night. I tested it alongside Bluetti’s own AC50B battery (£299, Bluettipower.co.uk), which saw its 448Wh capacity replenished by 25 to 35 per cent over the course of a sunny day.
The Bluetti 60W solar panel is the most versatile portable solar panel I’ve tested, with an eight-fold design that shrinks down to the size of a sheet of paper while remaining rugged and high-performing.
It’s tough enough to withstand being thrown around a campsite, and the ability to charge a DC, USB-C and USB-A device simultaneously means you don’t need to haul around a separate, heavy power station to make use of it. If portability is your main concern for your next off-grid adventure, it’s a superb choice.
To see if the Bluetti PV60F could handle life on the trail, I packed it up and took it out into the elements (my balcony, the local park and a camping trip in Somerset), using it as my primary source of backup power for several days.
As IndyBest’s tech critic, Steve Hogarty has spent more than a decade testing and reviewing the latest gadgets, from premium smartphones to off-grid power solutions. By taking devices out of the testing lab and deploying them in the muddy, unpredictable reality of the outdoors, he ensures his recommendations are always honest, unbiased, and grounded in practical experience.
Read more: Best power banks to charge devices on the go, tested on iPhone, Android and more
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Mostly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 77F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph..
Periods of rain. Low near 40F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch.
Updated: April 4, 2026 @ 11:16 am
Ed Sekerak, standing at left center, offers testimony regarding property values in the area surrounding the proposed Solar Flats project. The hearing Thursday lasted over four hours.

Ed Sekerak, standing at left center, offers testimony regarding property values in the area surrounding the proposed Solar Flats project. The hearing Thursday lasted over four hours.
Corry City Council convened a public conditional use hearing Thursday on a proposal by Solar Flats LLC to construct a 3-megawatt AC solar energy facility on approximately 16 acres of land along South Shady Avenue, owned by Troyer Growers Inc. The session drew a crowd of about 45, and featured hours of technical testimony, legal argument and public comment from residents who live within sight of the proposed installation.
Mayor Jeff Fike presided, joined by Councilmen William “Buzz” Hammond and William Roche and Councilwoman Charles “Chuck” Gray. Councilman Andrew Sproveri recused himself, citing concern over potential bias.
At the close of testimony, Council adjourned to executive session and announced it would reconvene at a later date to render a formal decision.
The project
Annika Schiffer-Delagard, project development associate for Greenwood Sustainable Infrastructure, described Solar Flats as a relatively modest commercial solar installation designed to feed power directly into the grid through Penelec. She said the project would have the capacity to power between 300 and 400 homes.
Schiffer-Delagard outlined what she characterized as the project’s low environmental footprint: no lighting, no signage, no smoke, no odor. She said maintenance would require only approximately three truck visits per year. She added that the panels themselves are silicon and glass, are UL-certified and pose no leaching risk to soil or groundwater.
Schiffer-Delagard said the company contracted for noise and glare studies ahead of the application. A noise analysis found all operational sound would fall at or below 45 decibels, comparable to a household dishwasher, and below ambient levels. A glint-and-glare study, performed by Fisher Associates engineer Steve Mellott, found minimal “green glare” — the lowest category, likened to sunlight reflecting off snow or a pond — at two locations, the first totaling 47 minutes of exposure annually, occurring in spring and fall near an agricultural barn at 340 Sample Flats Road; the second at the residence of Dr. Kurt Lund, totaling 16 minutes per year between May and June.
The project will include tracker panels — motors that rotate the arrays to remain perpendicular to the sun — powered by electricity generated by the project itself. Mellott testified the site plans include erosion and sediment controls, post-construction stormwater management and vegetative screening on three of four sides of the property. The north side, he said, is already bordered by existing woods.
Greenwood representative Drew Rogerson told Council that a 100-foot setback from residences is included and that the company maintains a 24/7 operations-and-maintenance team to respond to any damage, such as panels broken by hail. He also addressed concerns about site selection, assuring the audience that Corry was chosen because a willing landowner came forward and the utility interconnection proved feasible — not because the company believed the community would offer little resistance.
Legal arguments over zoning classification
Attorney Kevin Barley of Steptoe and Johnson in Pittsburgh, representing Solar Flats LLC and Greenwood Sustainable Infrastructure, argued that the application was filed at the city’s own direction. He said the city’s interim zoning officer, Samantha Vollentine, consulted with City Solicitor Lydia Caporosa in spring 2025 and instructed Solar Flats to apply under the “special residential and commercial projects” conditional use category in the R-1 single family residential district.
Barley reminded Council that a conditional use is presumed by the legislature to be consistent with the zoning plan and not inherently adverse to the public interest. He said the hearing was not about whether residents or officials favor or oppose solar energy, but whether the applicant meets the conditions set forth in the ordinance. He also noted that under the existing R-1 ordinance, uses with far greater potential impact — including mineral extraction, cemeteries, hospitals, nursing homes and funeral homes — are already permitted by right or conditional use.
Attorney Edward Betza of Elderkin Law Firm in Erie, representing objecting resident Kelly Goodsel and other South Shady Avenue neighbors by extension, offered a sharply different reading of the ordinance. He argued that the city’s zoning code, adopted in 1991 and never updated to address solar development, contains three distinct use categories: “planned commercial project,” “industrial use,” and “special residential and commercial project.”
Betza contended that a solar energy facility is plainly a planned commercial project, a category permitted only in I-1 and I-2 industrial districts, not R-1, or possibly an industrial use, which is similarly barred from the residential zone. Betza argued that the “special residential and commercial project” category requires both a residential and a commercial component, and that Solar Flats, having no residential element whatsoever, cannot legitimately claim that classification. 
“The word ‘and’ is significant,” he told Council. “I didn’t write it.”
Beyond the classification dispute, Betza argued that the applicant failed to meet its burden of proof under Section 605 of the zoning ordinance, pointing out that the testimony addressed neither fire protection nor electrical distribution disturbance, both required criteria. He also cited the ordinance’s provision that reflective materials or lighting “which produce objectionable, direct or reflected glare on adjoining properties shall not be permitted,” arguing the standard is absolute. 
“It says none — zero. Shall not be permitted,” Betza said.
Property values and decommissioning
Columbus resident Edward Sekerak, a state-certified general real estate appraiser who testified he has completed more than 10,000 appraisals over his career, said he found no evidence in available studies that a solar project of Solar Flats’ size and location would have a measurable negative effect on surrounding property values. He cited research from Virginia Tech and other institutions. Under cross-examination, however, Sekirak acknowledged he had not read the cited studies in their entirety.
On decommissioning, Schiffer-Delagard said the project’s anticipated operational life is 25 to 30 years. She said Solar Flats plans to secure a surety bond covering 110% of estimated decommissioning costs, calculated using 2026 pricing and an inflation rate. 
When asked by Councilwoman Gray whether the panels might simply be replaced and the facility continued beyond that horizon, Schiffer-Delagard said she could not commit to that scenario. 
When Mayor Fike asked how many sites Greenwood has decommissioned to date, she replied, “Zero.”
Public comment
Ten members of the public addressed Council, the large majority in opposition. Kelly Goodsel, whose property abuts the proposed installation, organized his objections into three categories: environmental concerns, including potential stormwater runoff into a nearby spring and existing wetlands to the north; property and home value impacts; and legal and ordinance compliance questions.
Goodsel also noted that property owners along Stewart Road in Concord Township, whose land would be directly affected by the project, received none of the informational mailings Greenwood sent to Shady Avenue residents in October 2025, and therefore had no advance notice of the proceedings. He said a portion of his own 20-acre property lies in Concord Township.
Lund echoed Goodsel’s testimony and raised additional concerns about glare hazards for motorists traveling roads near the project.
One speaker broke from the majority. Ed Spitman, who said he has lived near the area for 66 years, argued that the landowner has a right to use his property as he sees fit. 
“Everybody wants to make money, so everybody’s got to sacrifice a little bit,” Spitman said. “You’ve got to be open-minded to everybody.”
Planning commission previously split
The Corry Planning Commission previously voted 3–2 against recommending approval of the conditional use application, leaving the final determination to City Council. See the March 6 edition of The Journal for more information. 
Council has not announced a date for its decision.
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Many countries and regions are gradually facing a situation where early-installed photovoltaic modules are reaching the end of their service life; this establishes a solid market foundation for the establishment of solar module recycling plant. For enterprises planning to invest in the solar module recycling sector, selecting suitable country in which to site a facility is a critical factor for project success.
Based on the scale of the solar PV market and the associated recycling demand, the following countries are particularly worthy of consideration. These countries possess substantial installed solar capacity or rapidly growing industries, providing a stable supply of raw materials and market demand for the establishment of solar module recycling plants.
Europe
Many European countries were early adopters of photovoltaic (PV) technology and possess a substantial installed base; consequently, they are poised to gradually enter a peak phase for solar module decommissioning over the coming years. The European Union features a well-developed regulatory framework for waste management—including explicit requirements for e-waste recycling—which provides a solid policy foundation for the establishment of solar module recycling plant.
Countries such as Germany, Spain, and Italy—which rank among the leaders in PV installed capacity and possess mature supporting industrial ecosystems—are particularly well-suited locations for siting solar module recycling projects.
China
China stands as the world’s largest producer and installer of solar PV systems, boasting a cumulative installed capacity exceeding 500 GW. This signifies that a massive volume of end-of-life solar panels will be generated in the coming years, making the establishment of recycling facilities an effective means of processing discarded solar modules locally. Concurrently, relevant government authorities have recently begun actively promoting the development of standards and pilot programs specifically dedicated to solar panel recycling.
Selecting China as the location for solar module recycling plant allows for the full leveraging of local supply chain advantages, thereby ensuring the highly efficient operation of the recycling process.
United States
The U.S. solar market continues to grow, bolstered by strong support for renewable energy across various states. Some states have already begun to address the issue of end-of-life PV modules and are advancing relevant legislation. For instance, federal and state-level policies—such as the “Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act”—provide financial support for recycling initiatives.
Establishing solar module recycling plant within the United States helps ensure compliance with domestic environmental regulations, offers manufacturers localized recycling services, and reduces transportation costs.
India
India’s installed solar capacity is climbing rapidly, having already surpassed 50 GW, with a government target of reaching 450 GW by 2030. This trajectory will generate a massive demand for recycling services.
Although India is an emerging market for photovoltaics—and its recycling infrastructure is currently still under development—proactively establishing solar panel recycling facilities will enable the country to meet future market demands while simultaneously fostering job creation and local technological advancement.
Australia
 
Australia boasts a high rate of solar energy adoption, alongside a steady increase in utility-scale ground-mounted solar projects. The government is actively promoting renewable energy recycling initiatives—such as the Solar Recycling Fund—which offer incentives for the construction of new recycling plants.
Setting up solar panel recycling plants in the vicinity of Australia‘s major cities or industrial zones would enable coverage of both local markets and select markets within the Pacific region.
These countries hold significant potential for solar panels recycling, as their market scale and policy environments are conducive to supporting the long-term operation of solar panel recycling plant. Naturally, specific investment decisions should be made in conjunction with local regulations and economic assessments. If you are considering investing in solar panel recycling plant in the aforementioned countries or other regions, we invite you to consult with the professional manufacturer of solar PV panel recycling machine: Henan DOING Company.
DOING Company’s solar panel recycling plants offer complete recycling production lines, encompassing dismantling, crushing, and sorting equipment. Utilizing the automated crushing and sorting system, our technology separates high-purity valuable materials—such as glass, silicon, aluminum, and copper—from discarded solar modules. With an extraction rate exceeding 98%, our solutions help recycling facilities minimize operational costs while ensuring compliance with international environmental standards.
Whether you plan to establish solar module recycling plant in Germany, Spain, Italy, China, the United States, India, or any other country, our equipment can be tailored to meet local requirements, and we are ready to provide customized recycling solutions to suit your specific needs.
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OPINION: The UK government has finally opened the doors to plug-in solar panels in the UK, saying that they’ll be available in shops ‘within months’. Self-installed, and just requiring a simple 13A plug socket, will plug-in solar start a revolution and will the savings stack up?
As of April 1, the price cap has come down, and electricity and gas bills have just got a bit cheaper. Well, until you look at what’s going on in the Middle East and know that this reduction in price is a false dawn, and, unless things change dramatically, energy prices could soar upwards. 
No wonder, then, that the demand for solar power has risen dramatically. As I learned from my BOXT Solar review, solar panels are well worth it in the UK, provided you have the right conditions: the right type of roof, facing the right way, and you’re planning to stay in the home that you own for long enough to see the benefits.
That leaves an awful lot of people who aren’t in the optimal situation, including those in flats, those who rent and those who are only going to stay in a place temporarily. It’s for these kinds of people that plug-in solar offers a lifeline.
With a fixed solar installation, the idea is to fit as many solar panels as possible onto your roof to generate as much electricity as possible. To use this DC current, you need a high-power solar inverter, which converts the incoming power into the AC power you use around your home. All this specialised equipment costs a fair amount, and then there’s professional installation on top of that.
Plug-in solar aims to make life easier, with self-install solar panels that you can hang over a balcony, put on a shed roof or even place in a small terrace or other outdoor space.
These then connect to a microinverter, which plugs into a standard three-pin socket, with no additional installation required. Under the new government legislation, systems that generate up to 800W can be plugged in without needing an electrician. 
The size of the system you buy and the types of fixing the solar panels buy all make a difference to the price. As you can’t buy many such systems yet, there’s not much to go on, but we do have some initial reports on the types of systems that will be available, and there’s European pricing, as plug-in solar is already available in a lot of other countries.
Initial reports suggest that plug-in solar systems will cost around the £400 mark, but smaller systems could be available at around £200, with the largest system with a battery maxing out at over £ 1000.
Savings depend on the size of system you have and other factors. Most importantly, you still need to have an area suitable for solar panels: south-facing is ideal, with as much sun exposure as possible throughout the day. Essentially, you need direct sunlight; if you have a north-facing balcony, for example, or there’s a lot of shade where you want to put your plug-in system, you won’t generate a lot of power.
With those kinds of variables, typical energy savings could be from £70 a year, although EcoFlow says that you can save up to £115 per year with its STREAM Microinverter. This system is currently offered as a package with two 450W solar panels and a STREAM AC Pro battery (1.92kWh capacity) for £1049, marking a nine-year payback period (note that the current package requires an electrician to install, due to current legislation). 
As we get more packages and I’m able to run some reviews, it will be possible to get a better idea of what these kinds of systems can do. The short version is that plug-in solar can’t generate the same kinds of power as rooftop panels, but you’ll still generate free power that will knock your electricity bills down.
It will be worth doing some sums to work out whether it’s worth buying a battery, too. As with a full rooftop solar, whether a battery is worth it will depend on how much power you generate and whether you can use it while it’s being generated or not. This is the kind of information I plan to cover in reviews once samples are available.
Provided you have the right place to mount panels, plug-in solar is a simple way to get started with free electricity generation, and with prices looking like they’re going up, any saving is good.
Starting life on the consumer PC press back in 1998, David has been at the forefront of technology for the past 20 years. He has edited Computer Shopper and Expert Reviews, and once wrote a book on how to build a PC, before moving to Trusted Reviews in 2018 to take over the growing Home Technology section. He covers all home appliances, smart home and kitchen gadgets. With a cupboard full of hubs, David is a keen smart home enthusiast with a house that’s controlled via Alexa (which needs only occasionally to be shouted at when something’s not quite working). A keen cook and a self-professed coffee snob, David’s keen to expand his section’s coverage and bring the best cooking and cleaning kit to Trusted Reviews. You can find David online mostly tweeting about kittens, which he regularly fosters for a local charity.
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Bridge Michigan
Michigan’s nonpartisan, nonprofit news source
In the middle of a five-day power outage brought on by an early spring storm, Woody Gontina’s house appeared to be the only one on his street that still had its lights on.
At the time, Gontina had just installed a 5.4-kilowatt solar-and-battery-storage system at his home.
“Because of the solar and the battery, we had our whole house powered day and night throughout that outage,” recalls Gontina.
While Gontina could not have foreseen the storm’s impact, it was an early proof of concept for the Royal Oak city commissioner, who was in the early stages of encouraging his neighbors to install solar panels on their properties through an initiative called Solarize Royal Oak.
In the past few years, a largely grassroots solar installation trend has taken shape across a handful of Michigan towns and counties, as residents like Gontina have sought to capitalize on group-buy discounts and federal incentives to upgrade their homes.
“There wasn’t really a champion to push (Solarize) forward,” said Gontina. “I had the time and the interest to do it, and I also understood that the city was very challenged in terms of resources and didn’t have the time to meet an initiative like that.”
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Now overseen by the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association, the Solarize program has expanded to Grand Rapids, Lansing, Kalamazoo, as well as Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties, where city and county officials have taken over administering it to homeowners and businesses.
While federal incentives for solar have shrunk and solar installations have declined under the Trump administration, advocates of Solarize are still encouraging residents and businesses to take advantage of remaining opportunities and to embrace renewable energy sources amid utility rate hikes.
“As we see our energy costs continuing to rise, that’s really the biggest argument for renewables,” said Gontina. “Our electric provider, DTE, has demonstrated that they will not stop continuing to ask for increases at a regular pace until there’s something legislatively done to stop that.”
While Solarize has found its footing in Michigan in the past decade, its origins trace back to 2009, when residents in Portland, Or. began hosting neighborhood seminars with local contractors to learn about residential solar panel installation. The program rapidly expanded the city’s solar footprint, according to a report from the Energy Trust of Oregon.
For Ann Arbor energy manager and resident Julie Roth — who now works for the city’s Office of Sustainability & Innovation — hearing about the early success of Solarize was enough of a rationale to try it in her neighborhood in 2019. At the time, she was interested in installing solar panels on her roof but was concerned about the high upfront costs and the wide range of contractor quotes.
“I pitched it to my solar installer (contractor),” said Roth. “I said, ‘Well, what do you think if I get a bunch of people here and we all do it together. Would you give us a discount?’ He said, ‘Sure,’ and came up with a sort of discount structure.”
After she sent out an invite on Nextdoor and Facebook, Roth says, she was surprised at the turnout.
“I thought that I would have three people sitting around my dining room table awkwardly trying not to make eye contact with the installer or me, and then we would all go home, and it would be over,” said Roth.
Instead, 40 people showed up to that first meeting at her house. Within a year, about a dozen people from that night installed solar panel systems on their homes.
“It basically started because we were trying to overcome barriers to adoption,” she said. “We didn’t have any staff. It started as a volunteer thing. We didn’t have any money, and so with no resources and very little bandwidth, what can you do?”
As residents like Gontina and Roth have become ambassadors for Solarize, encouraging neighbors to host their own events and create more group-buy discounts on solar, it’s brought greater interest from county governments and statewide organizations seeking to broaden its appeal.
“We really want to position ourselves as a resource, as an advocate, and relationship builder,” said Julie Lyons Bricker, chief sustainability officer for Oakland County, one of the latest counties to adopt the Solarize program.
Since launching in 2021, the county’s Sustainability Office has focused on both improving energy efficiency across Oakland’s 62 cities, townships, and villages and guiding homeowners and businesses toward available incentives, says Lyons Bricker.
With Solarize Oakland County, the county hopes to raise awareness on how solar works, what’s needed to get it installed, and what people should expect from their contractors. Groups of residents can be matched with GLREA-approved vendors and receive a bulk discount of 5 to 15% on their solar panel purchases.
As momentum for solar installations has picked up in some communities across Michigan, the national solar industry has had to contend with tariff pressures and a freeze on approvals for major infrastructure projects, amid a pivot away from the clean energy policies and investments that emerged during the Biden administration.
Solar installations have declined, leading to an industry-wide disruption, with utility-scale solar installations down 16% and community solar down 25% in 2025, according to a recent report from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).
Last year, the Residential Clean Energy Credit — a 30% federal tax credit on solar, wind, and geothermal home installations — was cut six years short when Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” in July 2025, ending a credit that had been set to run through 2032.
“It’s an economic investment when you’re thinking about installing a system,” said Gontina. “Anything that is available to help with that investment only makes it easier.”
While the residential tax credit ended in December, multiple financial incentives for businesses and houses of worship remain active through the end of 2027. Bricker says the county is still trying to encourage commercial property owners to take advantage of that opportunity while it lasts.
For renters, lower-income residents, and those with roofs unsuitable for panels, rooftop solar programs like Solarize remain largely out of reach. The Trump administration’s termination of the federal Solar for All program in 2025 eliminated $156 million in Michigan projects designed to expand solar access for low-income households — projects already underway in Detroit, Highland Park, Benton Harbor, and beyond.
Community solar legislation, which would allow residents to subscribe to off-site solar arrays and receive bill credits without owning a system, has bipartisan support in Michigan but has yet to advance.
Gontina says that the Solarize Oakland County program could help the rest of the county catch up to what individual towns like Royal Oak are attempting to do.
“You’re bringing a bigger tent to the picture so that more people feel like they have an opportunity to be included,” he said.
Although Solarize is transitioning toward a “top-down” approach, Roth credits the “grassroots” solar parties she and others hosted with helping grow the city’s residential solar installations over the last several years.
“It grows the movement more when you’re talking to your neighbors than when you’re just talking to a city representative,” said Roth. “The community engagement and buy-in and ownership are much higher, especially when you’re not just looking at getting solar up, you’re looking at engaging a community around energy.”
She added: “We’re there as technical experts to some degree, to add legitimacy, and to continue to bring people along, and to make sure that the installers are being responsive.”
Although Ann Arbor Solarize’s numbers have slowed down in recent years, city data shows that the number of residents installing solar panels has increased in tandem with the program’s launch in 2019 and the growth of the solar installation market.
Ann Arbor has averaged about 180 residential solar installations annually since 2020, compared to 17 per year between 2008 and 2019.
Nearly seven years later, the success of Ann Arbor’s Solarize program has contributed, in part, to the city’s push to create a municipal-owned utility designed to help residents and businesses access solar energy and battery storage without upfront costs. The program will be optional, and will supplement, not replace, the use of DTE’s electric grid, according to city documents.
Ann Arbor’s Sustainable Energy Utility, authorized by roughly 80% of voters, is designed in part to address those barriers. Unlike rooftop solar programs, it would allow residents and businesses to access solar and battery storage without upfront costs — with the city owning the equipment and customers paying a monthly rate. Pilot projects targeting lower-income neighborhoods are expected to launch in 2026, with citywide expansion planned for 2027.
Roth hopes the city’s trend in renewable energy adoption and utility ownership can be a model for other communities. These days, she relishes the sight of solar panels around Ann Arbor.
“You walk around, you walk your dog in the neighborhoods, and it’s like, ‘solar there, solar there, solar there,’” she said. “It’s so visible. And that’s really exciting to see the actual physical changes in your community.”
___
This story was originally published by Planet Detroit and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
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April 2, 2026
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Australian scientists swapped solar panels for plastic mirrors and heated them to 754°F — Then something unexpected happened  Energies Media
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Romain Zissler, Senior Researcher, Renewable Energy Institute
2 February 2026
in Japanese
In Japan, solar photovoltaic (PV) is sometimes unfairly criticized because it is perceived as a technology imported from China – a country with which diplomatic relations are strained. China’s dominance over the global solar PV supply chain is undeniably strong and undesirable. However, pragmatic energy policies should move beyond this simplistic view. Solar PV undoubtedly strengthens Japan’s energy security and economy. In 2024, Japanese manufacturers accounted for 34% of domestic shipments of solar PV modules (including their overseas production). In 2025, 78% of module imports came from China, but India’s emergence as one of the world’s new leaders in module manufacturing offers untapped diversification potential. Domestic production can be increased through the implementation of appropriate support mechanisms. Module recycling reduces the need for additional imports. Finally, solar PV is the most cost competitive electricity generation technology in Japan, and the majority of its economic value is extracted within the country.
According to the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association (JPEA), in 2024, over one-third of the solar PV modules shipped to Japan were manufactured by Japanese companies [Figure 1].
Most of the production of Japanese companies took place abroad. The JPEA does not specify the countries involved, but additional data from BloombergNEF indicates that it is China.
Given that the factories located abroad are owned by Japanese companies, it cannot be claimed that Japan is excessively dependent on foreign companies to meet its domestic demand.
Figure 1: Domestic Shipments of Solar PV Modules – Japan, 2024
According to the Japanese Ministry of Finance (MoF), in value terms, imports of modules into Japan came essentially from China (78% in 2025) – including overseas production by Japanese companies – and Southeast Asia (i.e., the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand) (20%) [Figure 2].
On the positive side, Japan can diversify its import portfolio, as India is the world’s second-largest supplier of modules on a manufacturing capacity basis, and Japanese imports of Indian modules have been negligible so far (0.001%).
The main export market for Indian modules is the United States. However, since the end of August 2025, Indian modules have been subject to import tariffs of 64% in the United States.¹ This measure is forcing Indian manufacturers (e.g., Waaree Energies, Tata Power Solar Systems, Adani Enterprises…) to diversify their customer base. Increasing the trade of modules between India and Japan could be beneficial for both countries.
Figure 2: Country of Origin of Solar PV Module Imports – Japan, 2025

According to BloombergNEF, one of the challenges is that Japanese manufacturers now only produce cells and modules (i.e., they no longer produce polysilicon, ingots or wafers) [Figure 3]. Consequently, they currently have no control over events occurring upstream in the supply chain.
Figure 3: Solar PV Manufacturing Capacity of Japanese Companies by Segment – 2025
This situation is regrettable, but not irreversible. Japanese companies demonstrated their technological expertise in manufacturing polysilicon and wafers in Japan until 2022, when the last factories were still operating before closing due to fierce global economic competition.
If the Japanese government deemed these segments strategic, incentives (e.g., grants, tax credits…) could be offered to stimulate production by Japanese companies and/or encourage foreign companies to establish themselves in Japan.
For example, in the United States, thanks to a 25% investment tax credit, domestic production of ingots and wafers was revived in 2025.² This incentive enabled the American company Corning to build a new ingot and wafer factory (manufacturing capacity of 2 GW/year each) in the state of Michigan.
Importing solar PV modules is a one-time transaction, unlike importing fossil fuels, which is necessarily recurring. Once installed, modules generate electricity until the end of their lifespan (i.e., up to 30 years). Conversely, without a continuous inflow of fuel, coal and gas-fired power plants cannot generate electricity. This is why even imported modules contribute to Japan’s energy security.
Furthermore, while it is possible to recycle solar PV modules, recycling fossil fuels is impossible.
When solar PV modules are imported, raw materials that are not necessarily produced locally are also indirectly imported. In Japan, the mining of copper and bauxite (the base of aluminum) ore is very limited. However, refined copper and aluminum – two valuable metals – are easily recovered during module recycling (e.g., from the cables, junction box and frame).³
According to the International Energy Agency-Photovoltaic Power Systems Program (IEA-PVPS), a collaborative R&D initiative, some Japanese companies can properly recycle modules. Hamada Corporation is a good example.
Hamada Corporation owns a solar PV recycling center in Kyoto, in the Kansai region. This facility can process 21.6 tons of module waste per day. Mechanical treatments are implemented (i.e., “hot knife” for unbroken modules and “hammering” for broken-glass modules) to recover materials such as glass, metals and polymers [Figure 4]. These recovered materials are used by glass manufacturers and refining companies.
Figure 4: Simplified Illustration of Hamada Corporation’s Solar PV Module Recycling Process
Closed-loop recycling of solar PV modules involves recovering all the materials from old modules and reintegrating them into the manufacture of new ones. The IEA assumes a recovery rate of 85% for all materials, which does not completely eliminate the need for virgin materials.⁴ The recovered materials must be purified before they can be reused.
Recycling solar PV modules generally remains technically complex and insufficiently profitable. This could represent an opportunity for Japan to aim for global leadership.
According to BloombergNEF, in Japan, in 2024, new solar PV outcompeted all other electricity generation technologies in terms of cost, including existing coal-fired power plants, even without carbon pricing [Figure 5].
In addition, new solar PV systems paired with batteries (four-hour duration) have proven to be competitive with existing combined-cycle gas turbines (CCGTs). This achievement is remarkable because it demonstrates that a reliable power supply based on a variable renewable energy is becoming a cost-effective reality.
Figure 5: Power Generation Cost of Selected Technologies – Japan, 2024
Thus, by expanding solar PV, with or without batteries, electricity generation from fossil fuels decreases. This results in lower electricity prices for consumers, as well as a reduction in fossil fuel imports and greenhouse gas emissions. This is a triple win for Japan: economic efficiency, energy security and environmental protection are now within reach.
Another piece of good news is that the deployment of solar PV primarily benefits the national economy. This is because in Japan, most of the economic value of solar PV is extracted by Japanese companies.
According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), in Japan, solar PV modules accounted for only 13% of the total installation cost of utility-scale projects [Figure 6]. The combined share of grid connection, installation and soft costs – the three other major cost categories – was almost six times higher (76%).
Figure 6: Breakdown of Utility-Scale Solar PV Total Installation Cost – Japan, 2024
Grid connection costs include all medium-voltage cables and connectors, as well as transformers and substations. In the power grid technology sector, Japanese companies such as Mitsubishi Electric, Hitachi Energy, Fuji Electric and Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions are major global players with a strong presence in their national market.
Installation costs include site preparation (access and internal roads, cable routing) and assembly of all necessary equipment (e.g., mounting structure, modules, inverters, grid connection components, monitoring and control systems). This work is typically carried out by domestic companies.
Soft costs are mainly divided between the margin of project developers (6% of the total installation cost) and permit fees (4%). In Japan, the leading developers of solar PV projects are Japanese companies such as Toyota Tsusho, ENEOS, ORIX, Tokyu Fudosan, Daiwa House and NTT.
Finally, inverters deserve a brief mention. They represent a minor part of the total installation cost (3%) but received considerable attention in the spring of 2025. Indeed, American experts discovered rogue communication devices in Chinese solar power inverters, raising concerns about energy security.⁵
It may be reassuring for the Japanese public to know that several Japanese companies market inverters domestically (e.g., Omron, Panasonic, Diamond & Zebra Electric, TMEIC, Nichicon and Yaskawa Electric).
According to RTS Corporation, Japanese companies accounted for 43% of domestic inverter shipments in 2024.⁶ The main foreign companies were the Chinese companies Huawei Technologies (34%) and Sungrow Power Supply (15%), and the German company SMA Solar Technology (6%).
Several solutions exist to address the problem of inverters manufactured by Chinese companies. First, thorough and systematic inspections of these inverters could be implemented. If rogue communication devices were also discovered in Japan, an import ban could be a decisive measure (see the example of Italy below). Simultaneously, production by Japanese companies and non-Chinese foreign companies established in Japan could be encouraged.
In the autumn of 2025, for diversification purposes, Italy held an auction for solar PV projects prohibiting the use of equipment (i.e., cells, modules and inverters) manufactured in China or by Chinese companies.⁷ The average price of the winning projects was €0.066/kWh. By comparison, in the summer of 2025, Italy held another auction without restrictions on the origin of the equipment. The average price of the winning projects was then €0.057/kWh. Therefore, the ban on Chinese products increased the price of solar PV by less than €0.01/kWh. This demonstrates that such a stringent measure has only a limited negative impact on the affordability of solar PV.
In conclusion, instead of fearing the Chinese industry, Japan should more actively promote solar PV and focus its efforts on implementing projects that meet societal expectations, particularly in terms of impact on host communities.

 
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Montenegro’s Jugopetrol to install PV panels at 10 fuel stations in 2026  SeeNews
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Will County Planning and Zoning Commission Says “No” To Solar Farms In 4-2 Vote  wjol.com
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Published 5:00 am Saturday, April 4, 2026
By Ray Pitz
A Sherwood-area farm and grocery store is saving up to $28,000 on its annual electric bill — along with increasing crop yields — thanks to Portland General Electric solar towers that were funded in part by customers who support renewable energy.
Our Table Cooperative uses the towers, which pivot as the sun moves across the sky, at its farm and grocery store on property purchased in 2011 at 13390 S.W. Morgan Road.
The organic farm produces a variety of crops that include nuts, vegetables and fruits (blueberries, apples and strawberries), which are either sold in the grocery store or to restaurants and grocery stores in the Portland-metro area.
The store, whose ecofriendly interior features a 30-foot-tall vaulted ceiling made with timbers that came from an old dairy barn — the same wood used for the siding of the building — opened in 2014.
“We are trying to reimagine what the local food system could look like for the future — really, it’s about bringing people together around food,” Our Table Founder Narendra Varma said in a PGE statement.
Three years ago, Varma applied for a PGE Green Future Renewable Development Fund grant, which supports clean energy for small-innovative renewable projects by helping facilities reduce or eliminate carbon footprints. That fund comes from the 215,000 PGE customers who opt in to support clean energy.
The six towers the farm installed, paid in part by federal tax credits, have 28 solar panels per tower. They produce a total-rated capacity of 75 kilowatts — enough energy to power the entire 58-acre farm and its buildings — making the farm 100% energy independent, according to PGE officials.
“It’s a huge benefit to an organization like ours,” said Varma, who formally worked in the high-tech industry for eight years, which included a position at Microsoft.
The PGE fund also covers the cost of battery storage at Our Table Cooperative which, paired with the solar panels, provides energy after a power outage caused by storms.
“Our mission really is community through food. So it’s a bit of a weird mission where we’re trying to kind of reimagine what the local food system could look like (in) the future,” Varma said, “but really it’s about bringing people together around food.”

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April 01, 2026 11:00 ET  | Source: Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. Vishay Intertechnology, Inc.
MALVERN, Pa., April 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. (NYSE: VSH) today introduced a new Automotive Grade photovoltaic MOSFET driver that is the first such device in the compact SMD-4 package to provide a creepage distance of 8 mm and mold compound with a comparative tracking index (CTI) of 600. Designed to increase safety and reliability in high voltage automotive applications — while simplifying designs and reducing costs — the Vishay Semiconductors VODA1275 features the industry’s fastest turn-on times and the highest open circuit voltage and short circuit current in its class.
Classified as providing reinforced isolation, the device released today delivers an open circuit voltage of 20 V typical, short circuit current of 20 μA, and turn-on time of 80 μs, which is three times faster than competing devices. These characteristics enable quicker and more reliable driving of MOSFETs and IGBTs in high voltage systems. In addition, the device’s working isolation voltage of 1260 V_peak and isolation test voltage of 5300 V_RMS make it ideal for 800 V+ battery systems.
AEC-Q102 qualified, the VODA1275 is intended for use in pre-charge circuits, wall chargers, and battery management systems (BMS) for electric (EV) and hybrid electric (HEV) vehicles. While designers previously had to use two MOSFET drivers in series to generate the higher voltages required in these applications, the device’s high open circuit output voltage allows them to use just one, saving space and lowering costs. In addition, the driver enables the creation of custom solid-state relays to replace legacy electromechanical relays in next-generation vehicles.
The optically isolated VODA1275 draws all the current required to drive its internal circuitry from an infrared emitter on the low voltage side of the isolation barrier. This construction simplifies designs and lowers costs by eliminating the need for an external power supply. The MOSFET driver is RoHS-compliant, halogen-free, and Vishay Green.
Samples and production quantities of the VODA1275 are available now, with lead times of eight weeks.
Vishay manufactures one of the world’s largest portfolios of discrete semiconductors and passive electronic components that are essential to innovative designs in the automotive, industrial, computing, consumer, telecommunications, military, aerospace, and medical markets. Serving customers worldwide, Vishay is The DNA of tech.^® Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. is a Fortune 1000 Company listed on the NYSE (VSH). More on Vishay at www.Vishay.com.
The DNA of tech^® is a registered trademark of Vishay Intertechnology, Inc.
Vishay on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/VishayIntertechnology
Vishay Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/vishayindust
Links to product datasheets:
http://www.vishay.com/ppg?80495  (VODA1275)
Link to product photo:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/vishay/albums/72177720332762019
For more information please contact:
Vishay Intertechnology
Peter Henrici, +1 408 567-8400
peter.henrici@vishay.com
or
Redpines
Bob Decker, +1 415 409-0233
bob.decker@redpinesgroup.com
MALVERN, Pa., March 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. (NYSE: VSH) today introduced a new compact, ready-to-use linear position sensor designed for high accuracy performance…
MALVERN, Pa., March 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. (NYSE: VSH) today introduced a new space-grade, surface-mount common mode choke designed to provide EMI filtering and…

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Arctech Flagship SkyLine II: New Features Unlock Complex Solar Project Potential  acrofan.com
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Two Connecticut towns at the center of growing opposition of solar farms take case to Lamont  yahoo.com
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The Pine Tree State joins Utah and Virginia in advancing a law that establishes rules for small plug-in solar generation devices.
The Maine State House in Augusta
MonsieurNapoléon, CC BY-SA 3.0
With the state Senate’s passage of LD 1730 on April 2, 2026, Maine became the third state in the U.S. to pass legislation allowing citizens to use small plug-in solar devices to offset some of their electricity usage — joining Utah, which passed the nation’s first bill in 2025, and Virginia, which acted earlier this year.
Like the previous bills, Maine’s law would allow any retail electricity customer to install and use a single plug-in photovoltaic or battery system up to 1,200 watts.
The devices may be connected to standard outlets as long as they comply with certain National Electrical Code and UL safety standards.
Notably, the Maine bill is the first to specifically mention the new standards being developed under the UL 3700 outline of investigation, but it would also allow devices certified to comparable standards from other testing laboratories, or that meet the requirements of the National Electrical Code (NEC). 
The bill also prohibits utility companies from requiring interconnection agreements or fees to be paid by customers that use these devices. 
However, unlike the bills in Virginia and Utah, LD 1730 would create two classes of plug-in solar and battery systems defined by their output wattage. 
Owners of systems with power output greater than 420 watts would be required to have the devices installed by a licensed electrician, and required to notify their utility company of their use of the device within 30 days of installation. 
DIY installations of systems with 420 watts or less of power output would be allowed, with no requirement to notify the utility.
Absent from the Maine bill are the kinds of tenant protections that made the Virginia bill unique. The law does have a section regarding a tenant’s use of an eligible device, but it is limited to a requirement that the tenant ensures the system does not compromise the rental property or violate safety codes, and will reverse any changes they make to the structure when removing the device.
While Maine has a “solar rights” law on the books, the current statute only protects the rights of Maine renters to use “solar clothes-drying devices.” As written, the existing solar rights law allows restrictions on solar devices for a number of reasons, including “on residential property in common ownership with 3rd parties or common elements of a condominium.”
The bill, entitled “An Act to Make Small Plug-in Solar Generation Devices Accessible for All Maine Residents to Address the Energy Affordability Crisis,” will now head to the desk of governor Janet Mills, who will have 10 days to veto or sign it into law.
Support from Maine residents
In a joint statement, representatives of A Climate to Thrive (ACTT), Maine Climate Action Now (MCAN), Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) celebrated the bill’s passage and expressed gratitude to bill sponsor Senator Nicole Grohoski and Representative Gary Friedmann, who testified in favor of the bill as it passed through the legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Technology and Utilities.
“We are excited to see ratepayers empowered to take control of their electricity costs in the face of the current affordability crisis exacerbated by utilities’ high profit margins,” said MCAN director Amy Eshoo. In comments to pv magazine USA, Eshoo expressed confidence that Governor Mills will sign the bill.
Rebecca Schultz, senior advocate for climate & clean energy at the NRCM said, “As Mainers, we value self-reliance, and plug-in solar is one practical way we can help put affordable energy directly in the hands of more people across the state, allowing everyone from renters to lower-income households a simple way to take advantage of the cheapest energy on the planet.”
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
More articles from Ben Zientara
This bill is a meaningful step toward making small plug‑in solar more accessible, but the description of using a “standard outlet” needs a bit more technical clarity. Once UL 3700 is required, these systems can’t simply plug into any existing household receptacle. UL 3700 defines a dedicated, safety‑certified interconnection point with specific wiring and circuit requirements. Even for systems at or below 420 W, a licensed electrician would still be needed to install that dedicated circuit so the device can meet the UL 3700 conditions. The legislation is still a positive development, but the practical installation requirements are more involved than the phrase “standard outlet” suggests.
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Median solar module pricing in the United States reached $0.28 per watt as the market adjusted to intensified trade enforcement and new Foreign Entity of Concern compliance requirements, according to the Q1 2026 Quarterly Pricing & Domestic Content Report from Anza.
Image: Pexels / Gustavo Fring / CC SA 4.0
The U.S. solar market entered 2026 navigating a landscape defined by regulatory shifts and the persistent threat of supply chain disruptions. Following a year of volatility where median pricing rose by as much as 14% between January and November 2025, the first quarter of 2026 has seen prices hold at an elevated baseline.
The current stabilization at $0.28 per watt represents a shift from the $0.25 per watt levels seen in early 2025, driven by the convergence of Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duty determinations and the tightening of domestic content eligibility.
Higher prices are driven in part by stricter Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC) rules. Under the Treasury Department’s updated guidance, projects seeking to qualify for the full 10% Domestic Content Bonus under the Inflation Reduction Act must navigate requirements regarding prohibited foreign entity material assistance. For projects beginning construction in 2026, the applicable threshold percentage for non-PFE produced property stands at 40% for solar facilities and 55% for Energy Storage Technologies. These thresholds are scheduled to escalate by 5% annually, creating urgency among developers to secure compliant hardware before the 2027 step-ups. 
Anza’s data, which aggregates median pricing from more than 40 suppliers representing over 95% of the U.S. module supply, highlights a growing price delta between compliant and non-compliant hardware. FEOC-compliant modules have seen a steady price increase of approximately 4.9% as supply chains reorganize to exclude components from restricted entities. In contrast, modules that do not meet FEOC standards saw a more aggressive price spike of 9.2% during the previous safe harbor rush.
Anza noted a convergence in the pricing of mainstream cell architectures. Mono PERC saw its historic price advantage over newer technologies nearly disappear. Median pricing for Mono PERC modules stood at approximately $0.275 per watt in Q1. This represents a 4.2% increase from late 2025 levels, as buyers favored the mature supply chain of PERC to mitigate risks associated with newer technologies.
Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact (TOPCon) technology is currently priced at a median of $0.285 per watt. While TOPCon previously commanded a more significant premium, patent litigation among Tier-1 suppliers has introduced a layer of caution for some buyers. Despite these intellectual property concerns, the efficiency gains of TOPCon continue to drive high demand in the utility-scale segment. Heterojunction (HJT) modules remain the most expensive mainstream option, holding at $0.39 per watt. The HJT market is characterized by limited U.S. availability, with pricing driven more by specific cell origin and tariff status than by broader market commoditization. 
The domestic manufacturing landscape is also showing signs of bifurcated pricing. Modules utilizing U.S.-made cells command the highest premium in the market, with prices at $0.46 per watt. The price reflects a 5.7% increase, as developers compete for a limited pool of domestically produced cells required to maximize tax credit value.
Conversely, U.S.-assembled modules that utilize imported cells have seen more volatility. Pricing for these hybrid domestic products rose to $0.36 per watt, a nearly 6% increase from the previous quarter. Many buyers are blending domestic modules with imported units or high-value domestic balance of system components like racking and inverters to hit the 40% domestic content threshold while managing overall capital expenditure, said the report.
Imported module pricing has remained relatively flat at $0.265 per watt for products not subject to the most severe trade penalties. However, the shadow of the Section 232 investigation looms over these figures. The investigation, which aims to determine if imported solar components pose a national security threat, could lead to new universal tariffs or quotas.
Furthermore, the anticipated AD/CVD determinations on imports from India, Indonesia, and Laos have begun to influence procurement strategies. Modules from Southeast Asian countries already affected by trade policy saw a 7.7% price increase late last year, and while they have eased slightly, they remain higher than pre-litigation levels. 
In the Energy Storage System sector, the pricing trajectory has diverged from that of solar modules. Battery storage pricing has continued to decline, providing a counterbalance to rising module costs for integrated solar-plus-storage projects.
For a 10 MW 4-hour distributed generation system, the AC Wrap median CAPEX price fell to $212 per kWh, representing a 6.8% decrease. Self-integrated battery systems in the same segment dropped to $173 per kWh. Utility-scale storage followed a similar downward trend, with AC Wrap pricing reaching $194 per kWh and self-integrated pricing falling to $158 per kWh, a 10.6% decline from the peak levels seen in mid-2025. This downward pressure is attributed to falling lithium carbonate costs and an expansion of battery manufacturing capacity outside of China, though Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports scheduled to hit 25% this year remain a variable. 
Looking forward to the remainder of 2026, Anza warns that the status quo of $0.28 per watt module pricing may be short-lived. The potential for Section 232 tariffs on polysilicon and its derivatives could create a new wave of upward pressure, particularly for domestic manufacturers who still rely on imported raw materials.
Additionally, the Treasury’s Cost Percentage Safe Harbor tables, which allow taxpayers to use assigned cost percentages for domestic content calculations, will be a critical tool for developers navigating 2026 construction starts. As the industry moves toward the 40% domestic content requirement, the premium for U.S.-made cells is expected to remain high, further widening the gap between low-cost imported hardware and tax-advantaged domestic products. 
The report concludes that procurement strategies in 2026 must be increasingly granular. Buyers can no longer focus solely on the cents per watt sticker price but must instead account for the impact of tariffs, the value of the 10% domestic content bonus, and the long-term risk of supply chain audits under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) and FEOC rules.
As the market absorbs these regulatory costs, the baseline for U.S. solar pricing appears to have shifted higher, ending the era of sub-twenty-cent utility-scale modules in the American market.
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Natural Resources Council of Maine
Protecting the Nature of Maine
Posted on April 3, 2026 by NRCM
Filed Under: Clean Energy, Climate, Maine Environmental News Tagged With: News Release, renewable energy, solar
The Natural Resources Council of Maine is a nonprofit membership organization protecting, restoring, and conserving Maine’s environment, now and for future generations. Join NRCM today!
3 Wade Street, Augusta, Maine 04330
Phone: 207.622.3101 Toll Free: 800.287.2345
Fax: 207.622.4343

 
 
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NRCM recognizes and honors the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Mi’kmaq Nation, Penobscot Nation, and the Passamaquoddy Tribe, collectively the Wabanaki Nations. Wabanaki translates as “People of the Dawn.” The Wabanaki Nations have stewarded Maine for generations, stretching back to before colonial settlers forcibly occupied the area. NRCM’s office in Augusta is on the unceded territory of the Penobscot Nation, and all of us in Maine are on unceded lands once overseen by Wabanaki people. Let us remember this history and move forward with a commitment to justice and alignment with Wabanaki Nations in Maine. (Read full land acknowledgement.)

© 2026 Copyright · Natural Resources Council of Maine · All Rights Reserved · Website Design by Seaside Web Design, LLC ·

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NTPC Renewable Energy has issued a tender for a BoS package for a 200 MW grid-connected solar PV project in Bikaner, Rajasthan. Bid submission ends on May 5, 2026.
April 04, 2026. By Mrinmoy Dey

Mobile Charging and Energy Storage Will Drive India’s EV Adoption: Mobec’s Harry Bajaj

10th Edition of RenewX Expo Set to Showcase a Decade of Clean Energy Progress

Trontek’s Samrath Kochar Explains How Rooftop Solar Adoption is Boosting Battery Storage Demand

Waterless Robotics Can Recover Up to 12% Lost Solar Generation, Says TAYPRO’s Yogesh Kudale

From Aerospace to EVs: Why Spherical Aluminium Powders Are Game-Changing

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Zaragoza City Council Commissions 220 kW Solar Plant, Awards Rooftop PV Contract to Iberdrola Clientes  solarquarter.com
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Japan government adopts bill mandating solar panel disposal plans  Azərtac
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Gov. Ned Lamont criticized the loss of farmland and other open space for the construction of Connecticut’s largest solar array on Tuesday. But he stopped short of expressing support for a moratorium on further solar development in towns at the epicenter of the state’s solar industry.
Lamont’s visit to East Windsor — home to the 120-megawatt Gravel Pit Solar project and several smaller arrays — was arranged by local critics of the developments. They say their community has been inundated with solar panels, which have taken over farms, made noise and caused other quality-of-life problems that alter the town’s rural character.
Last month, the Connecticut Siting Council signed off on a 30-megawatt expansion that would add an additional 150 acres to Gravel Pit’s footprint in East Windsor. The town has already pledged to appeal the ruling.
“I love clean renewable power that’s also affordable, but I also love open space, protecting open space,” Lamont said after being driven on a tour around the sprawling facility. “I don’t think we have that balance right, right now.”
The tour highlighted a tricky political question facing Lamont and other Democrats who are supportive of the state’s long-term climate goals: how to build clean, renewable sources of electricity without angering the people living alongside those projects.
Residents in East Windsor and surrounding river valley towns, such as Enfield and Ellington, say they’ve already done their part playing host to large solar arrays. Together, the six-town region produces nearly a third of the state’s grid-scale solar output.
“Too much of a good thing can become very bad,” said state Sen. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor. “We’re seeing that something that started with a good concept is overwhelming our community.”
Anwar and the principal organizer of the tour, state Rep. Jaime Foster, D-Ellington, have sponsored House Bill 5551, which would allow officials in any town that’s home to or abutting a solar facility larger than 100 megawatts to veto new projects within their borders. (Under those parameters, the bill would only apply to East Windsor and neighboring towns.)
Asked after his tour whether he would support such a policy, Lamont hedged.
“I’d like to do something broader than that, so we’re not just taking care of one or two towns. But what I can do statewide is to make sure that this doesn’t happen again, and make sure that any of these things that aren’t yet developed we can preserve,” Lamont said.
The governor also expressed dismay at the name the developers chose for Gravel Pit Solar, which came from an old quarry on which a portion of the array was built. “I saw a beautiful open space, beautiful fields, and this ought to be the last place you want to develop,” Lamont said.
A spokesperson for Gravel Pit’s owner, DESRI Holdings, declined to comment on Lamont’s visit.
Decisions on where to place large solar arrays and other power projects fall to the Connecticut Siting Council, which was formed in the 1970s take over a process that had previously been subject to the use of eminent domain by utility companies.
State law allows the Siting Council to consider a variety of factors in its decisions, including a project’s impact on agriculture, forests and scenic areas, as well as its potential impact on air and water quality. Other local concerns, such as the effect on property values or municipal tax tolls, are not part of the council’s evaluation criteria.
Melanie Bachman, executive director of the Siting Council, said in an email that none of the land used by Gravel Pit Solar had been set aside for protection under Connecticut’s open space and farmland preservation programs. In addition, she noted that the developers had pledged to allow sheep grazing and beekeeping on parts of the property, while also donating 70 acres of land to East Windsor for conservation.
Bachman declined to comment specifically on the governor’s remarks on the project.
In 2023, Lamont vetoed legislation that would have allowed municipalities to appoint a nonvoting member to weigh in on projects before the Siting Council. In his veto message, the governor explained that the bill could give opponents within a town access to sensitive information about applicants, while also eroding the council’s authority to approve “climate-positive projects,” such as transmission lines and solar facilities.
Still, lawmakers have put forward a similar bill this session to give towns a greater role in Siting Council decisions.
Lamont declined to say Tuesday whether he would veto that legislation, Senate Bill 144, if it reaches his desk. Supporters say they’ve added language requiring nonvoting members to abide by the council’s confidentiality rules, in order to ease some of the governor’s concerns.
Foster and her allies have proposed several ways to alter the structure of the Siting Council to give towns a greater voice, while still preserving its ability to preempt local control. Those ideas include having a permanent member with experience in municipal government, or seat for a representative of the regional council of governments in the area where a project is proposed.
“I have long held the assumption that the current membership of the Siting Council… have a sort of myopic view on what holds weight in their consideration, and I think that’s pretty clearly demonstrated in their approvals,” Foster said. “To diversify the membership and perspective on the board would be helpful.”
In testimony submitted to lawmakers last month, Bachman argued that the Siting Council has already undergone legislative changes in recent years to alter the makeup of its members and provide for greater input by local officials.
She warned that further changes, such as those proposed in H.B. 5551 and S.B. 144, would threaten the independence of the council to act on behalf of all Connecticut residents, as well as the environment.
In East Windsor, however, residents expressed frustration with the Siting Council’s repeated approvals of new solar projects. At one stop along his tour Tuesday, Lamont was met with a large, hand-painted sign affixed to a trailer urging him to “stop solar saturation.”
The sign was the work of Amanda Berube, who lives across the street from a smaller solar array owned by NextEra that has faced persistent complaints from neighbors who say it emits a loud buzzing noise during the day. In addition, the array experienced a brush fire last year that was attributed to nearby utility equipment.
Berube and her neighbors are also alarmed over the latest proposal from Gravel Pit’s owners to develop another, 100-megawatt array known as Saltbox Solar on farmland within East Windsor and Ellington.
While the developers have yet to submit Saltbox Solar to the Siting Council for approval, online plans show it would leave Berube’s subdivision surrounded by solar panels on three sides.
“It would just be devastating to our neighborhood, it would be devastating to the neighborhood in Ellington,” and to local dairy farmers who use the land to grow corn to feed their cows, she said. “So I just really hope that something can be done, that the legislation can pass, so that we can finally put an end to this.”
John Moritz is a reporter for the Connecticut Mirror. Copyright 2026 @ CT Mirror (ctmirror.org). 
Copyright 2026 Hartford Courant. All rights reserved. The use of any content on this website for the purpose of training artificial intelligence systems, algorithms, machine learning models, text and data mining, or similar use is strictly prohibited without explicit written consent.

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German module manufacturer Bauer Solar has introduced a new back-contact solar panel to its product lineup, according to a report from pv magazine Germany. The initial offering is a full-black glass-glass version with a power output of 480 watts.
The panel is constructed using 108 bifacial half-cells and has dimensions of 1,800 by 1,134 by 30 millimeters, with a weight of 24.8 kilograms. The company states the module achieves a power conversion efficiency of 23.52 percent.
Specifications include front and rear glass panes that are each 2 millimeters thick and feature anti-reflective coatings. The module frame is constructed from anodized black aluminum alloy. The product is rated for operation in temperatures ranging from -40 to 85 degrees Celsius and can handle a maximum system voltage of 1,500 volts. It is designed to withstand static loads up to 5,400 pascals and carries an HW3 hail resistance rating, alongside fire protection class A certification.
Bauer Solar is providing a 30-year product and performance warranty for the new module. The linear performance guarantee ensures a minimum of 88.85 percent of the original output after three decades. The manufacturer indicated plans to increase the output of its back-contact modules to 500 watts later this year with additional variants.
Alongside the new back-contact technology, the company will continue its focus on TOPCon products, with an expansion of that portfolio planned for the coming summer. The new TOPCon variants are expected to reach an output of 465 watts. Bauer Solar targets the residential rooftop market with these modules, positioning them as an economical solution, though specific pricing was not disclosed.
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Rooftop solar generating capacity in Puerto Rico totaled 1,456 megawatts (MW) at the end of 2025, 20% of the overall capacity mix. Rooftop solar capacity has increased faster than other sources over the past decade. Between 2016 and 2025 rooftop solar installations accounted for 81% of the new generating capacity in Puerto Rico, according to data from our Electric Power Monthly and Puerto Rico Energy Bureau’s (PREB) Quarterly Report on System Data. In 2025, rooftop solar became the second-largest capacity source, after petroleum liquids capacity (3,671 MW), and surpassed natural gas capacity (1,391 MW).
Distributed generation resources, particularly rooftop solar coupled with battery systems, have grown as Puerto Rico has grappled with electricity reliability and frequent power outages. On average, 3,850 rooftop solar panel systems were installed in homes and businesses per month in 2025, with a cumulative 191,929 systems in place at the end of the year.
In addition to rooftop solar capacity, distributed battery storage has also increased in Puerto Rico. According to data from PREB, 171,372 households and businesses had a distributed battery storage system at the end of 2025, with a total energy capacity of 2,864 megawatt-hours.
Puerto Rico established net metering policies in August 2007 allowing rooftop solar owners to sell excess electricity to the grid. Last summer, Puerto Rico’s grid operator, LUMA, expanded the Customer Battery Energy Sharing program, allowing power stored in distributed battery storage units to supply power to the grid when the operator forecasts electricity supply shortages. Thousands of these batteries form systems known as virtual power plants (VPP). VPPs are an aggregation of geographically dispersed distributed energy resources, like batteries that can dispatch power to the grid as one singular power plant. Companies like Sunrun, Tesla, and others work with LUMA and manage these VPPs. Participating battery owners are financially compensated for exporting excess electricity to the grid.
Article from Today in Energy. Principal contributor: Lindsay Aramayo
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Solar energy led global renewable power growth in 2025, with Africa recording its highest expansion on record, according to a new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
In its ‘Renewable Capacity Statistics 2026’ report released on Tuesday, IRENA said solar accounted for about 75 percent of new renewable energy capacity added last year.
The report said global renewable capacity rose to 5,149 gigawatts (GW) in 2025 after adding 692 GW — a 15.5 percent increase.
It added that off-grid solar solutions also continued to expand, particularly in regions with limited electricity access, including parts of Africa.
Wind energy followed solar growth, while other sources such as hydropower and bioenergy contributed smaller shares.
“Approximately three-quarters of the capacity expansion was in the form of solar energy, which increased by 511 GW (+27.2%); this was followed by wind energy, with additions of 159 GW (+14.0%). Renewable hydropower capacity increased by 18.4 GW (+1.4%); bioenergy by 3.4 GW (+2.3%); and geothermal energy by 0.3 GW (+1.7%),” the report reads.
“Solar and wind energy continued to dominate renewable capacity expansion in 2025, jointly accounting for 96.8% of all net renewable additions.
“2025 marks the highest annual increase in renewable generation capacity to date and the highest growth on record in percentage terms.”
Despite the global surge, the agency said Africa’s growth, though the highest on record, remained modest compared to other regions.
The continent added 11.3 GW of renewable capacity in 2025, representing a 15.9 percent increase, driven largely by projects in Ethiopia, South Africa, and Egypt.
“The Middle East recorded its largest growth rate, at 28.9% (+12.7 GW) in 2025, with Saudi Arabia accounting for the majority of this expansion,” IRENA said.
“By the end of 2025, the Group of Seven (G7) countries (excluding the European Union) accounted for 22.1% of the global capacity share, totalling 1140 GW.
“The Group of Twenty (G20) countries (excluding the European Union and African Union) accounted for 81.8% of the global share, with a total capacity of 4210 GW.
“The G7 and G20 countries accounted for 12.0% and 88.5% of new capacity, respectively, in 2025.”
IRENA said the figures highlight a widening gap in clean energy deployment between regions, with Asia accounting for more than 70 percent of global additions.
The report noted that countries with lower renewable capacity, including many in Africa, remain more vulnerable to energy shocks and rising fuel costs.
Commenting on the findings, Francesco La Camera, IRENA director-general, said renewable energy is becoming increasingly important for energy security.
“In the midst of uncertain time, renewable energy remains consistent and steadfast in its expansion,” he said.
“A more decentralised energy system, with a growing share of renewables and more market players, is structurally more resilient.
“Countries that invested in the energy transition are weathering the Middle East crisis with less economic damage, as they boost energy security, resilience and competitiveness.”
IRENA said the global shift towards renewables is being driven in part by concerns over fossil fuel price volatility and geopolitical tensions, which have exposed the risks of relying on imported energy.
The report called for increased investments in regions with low renewable capacity to improve energy access and strengthen resilience.

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A team at Kyushu University has developed a method that may guide photovoltaic technology past persistent efficiency limits. According to a report in pv magazine, the work centers on a quantum process called singlet fission, where a single photon can create two electron-hole pairs.
The researchers paired singlet-fission materials with a specially designed molybdenum-based spin-flip emitter. This combination demonstrated energy conversion in a solution with an effective quantum yield of approximately 130%. The emitter is designed to capture triplet excitons, which are often non-emissive, and convert them into near-infrared light.
The molecular design of the emitter allows for an electron spin flip during light absorption or emission. This enables more efficient harvesting of the multiple excitons generated by singlet fission. The structure of the molecular linker connecting the light-absorbing units is a critical factor, heavily influencing the efficiency and dynamics of the energy transfer process.
Applications in solar cells will require integrating these materials into solid-state systems, a step the researchers note they are actively pursuing. The approach could block certain energy loss pathways in silicon solar cells, allowing for selective extraction of energy from triplet states. Beyond photovoltaics, the method may also enable new quantum technologies and contribute to next-generation quantum material design.
The findings were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
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Greenskies Clean Energy filed a petition last year to build a 1.2-megawatt solar facility on mostly vacant land along Lake Street in Manchester, as pictured on Jan. 15, 2026.
Greenskies Clean Energy filed a petition last year to build a 1.2-megawatt solar facility on mostly vacant land along Lake Street in Manchester, as pictured on Jan. 15, 2026.
Greenskies Clean Energy filed a petition last year to build a 1.2-megawatt solar facility on mostly vacant land along Lake Street in Manchester, as pictured on Jan. 15, 2026.
MANCHESTER — State officials have approved a Lake Street solar facility that has proved controversial among some neighbors.
The Connecticut Siting Council approved a petition from North Haven-based solar developer Greenskies Clean Energy to build a 1.2-megawatt solar photovoltaic electric generating facility at 81 and 93 Lake St., two largely vacant agricultural properties totaling close to 30 acres.
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The project consists of two separate but connected solar arrays, with a 750-kilowatt facility on 93 Lake St. and a 450-kilowatt facility on 81 Lake St. taking up a total footprint of 6.3 acres with a combined 2,136 modules.
The original petition filed by Greenskies in August billed the facility as providing "multiple benefits" to the town, state, and region through production of renewable energy, and the Siting Council's decision echoes that sentiment.
The draft decision and order, dated March 27, states that the Siting Council finds there is a "public benefit" for the construction of the facility and that it would not have a "substantial adverse environmental effect," and that the council will therefore issue a declaratory ruling for the proposed facility.
The Siting Council's draft opinion, dated March 27, states that pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes, the council has "exclusive jurisdiction" over the facility proposed by Greenskies and shall approve by declaratory ruling any such project as long as it "meets the air and water quality standards of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Council does not find a substantial adverse environmental effect."
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The opinion states that the proposed facilities would be remotely monitored on a 24/7 basis and comply with relevant building, electrical, and fire protection codes, and Greenskies would work with local emergency responders and file an emergency response plan. Noise generation and air quality would comply with state standards, and DEEP would need to issue a stormwater permit prior to construction.
The opinion further states that Greenskies has expressed a willingness to install landscape plantings and implement best management practices for stormwater in response to neighborhood concerns about visibility of the facility and water quality.
Members of the Siting Council approved approved the plan in a 7-0 vote Thursday, with one member recusing themselves. Few spoke about the project in detail during the meeting, though one member briefly discussed his issues with the plan.
Bill Syme said the proposal from Greenskies was not "one of (his) favorites" due to prime farmland being taken out of production, but that he could foresee minimal impact to neighbors and the environment.
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Khristine Hall said she was happy that a condition for a post-construction noise study was included, though noted it is typical for the Siting Council to do so.
"Even though the host parcel owner was not concerned about the noise, which may be above the noise limits, I think it's important to have that study and see what the compliance is once the facility is started," Hall said.
Chance Carter thanked staff members for working on the documents, and said he was pleased to see that the approval requires Greenskies to work with the town's fire department to ensure emergency services can reach the site.
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Joseph Villanova is a reporter with the Journal Inquirer and CT Insider, primarily covering Manchester and East Hartford. He joined the newsroom in July 2021.
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Cost, complexity and confidence gaps are the main barriers to the uptake of rooftop solar in Australia according to new federal government research.
Image: CER
A new survey shows that the upfront cost of purchasing and installing rooftop solar is the most common barrier to its uptake while the complexity of choice is also a major pain point for consumers.
The Behavioural Economics Team of the Australian government (BETA) has surveyed nearly 4,900 people for its Towards Net Zero study, examining how households decide on home energy upgrades, with a focus on rooftop solar.
Of the respondents with solar panels, the most common reason for installing solar was financial with 67% of solar owners citing bill savings as their main motivation, but almost half of those said upfront expenses had made the decision to get solar difficult. Those without solar were even more likely to view cost as the primary barrier with nearly half of respondents citing cost as the main reason the choice to get rooftop solar was difficult.
Cost was also the most common reason people with solar panels had not purchased batteries.
Behind cost, the second most common friction to installing solar is the complexity of choice with half of respondents who were planning to install solar finding it difficult to choose the right type and size of system, choose an installer, work out how much to spend, and learn the technical jargon.
Image: BETA
The survey shows that respondents who were planning to install solar within the next five years perceived many associated tasks to be difficult.
“More than 50% of this group found it difficult to choose the system that was right for them, choose an installer, work out how much money to spend, learn the technical jargon and work out how big the system would be,” BETA said.
“Such complexity can create enough friction to grind the process to a halt.”
BETA said confidence emerged as a critical enabler with clear information from salespeople and installers helping to reduce complexity and enable action.
“Confidence may be the key ingredient to help people follow through on their intention to make home upgrades,” the researchers said. “A combination of easy-to-access and easy-to-understand general advice, paired with customised recommendations from trustworthy retailers or tradespeople … can help overcome the frictions introduced by the complexity or difficulty of tasks.”
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“I don’t want to lose the house.”
Photo Credit: iStock
A nervous homebuyer recently sparked a discussion on Reddit’s r/solar after entering a contract on a California home with a 20-year solar lease attached. 
In their post, the potential buyer shared detailed calculations on energy rates in the area (which, as the home is in California, are higher than the national average), the lease cost, and the long-term savings of the deal, seeking honest feedback and advice. 
Solar panels are one of the most reliable ways to reduce your energy costs — but whether you’re considering leasing, buying them outright, or financing, it’s important to understand your options before installing them. 
If you have questions about which panels are right for your situation and home, TCD partner EnergySage offers free tools to help you save up to $10,000 on new solar panel installations. 
Based on this poster’s calculations, including predicted year-by-year electricity rate increases in their area, buying the home and keeping the leased solar panels would likely save them big on energy costs. 
Still, they asked Reddit to weigh in before making a final commitment. 
“I put my calculations in the Google sheet below, and it seems like I would save a few thousand over PGE every year,” the original poster wrote. “Am I seeing this wrong?”
Commenters quickly chimed in to discuss the pros and cons of solar panel leases. 
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If you want to buy your own panels, Palmetto’s advisors can help you save up to $10,000 on installation through a network of preferred installers. And if you’d rather get solar savings without upfront costs, Palmetto’s revolutionary LightReach subscription program can deliver — including an exclusive $1,000 cashback offer for TCD readers.
LightReach lets you lease solar panels with no money down, making it painless to lock in long-term savings of up to 33% off your current power bill. Palmetto covers a 25-year warranty for the panels, which means you’ll get reliable performance without unforeseen costs.
To get started, just book a short meeting with Palmetto’s experts to explore your options and find the solution that’s right for you.
Although buying solar panels outright offers the largest savings on electric bills, a solar lease with monthly payments can still be a worthwhile investment to keep utility costs down.
“A good lease will be better than PG&E, but not as good as a purchase,” one user observed.
Which of these savings plans for rooftop solar panels would be most appealing for you?
Save $1,000 this year 💸
Save less this year but $20k in 10 years 💰
Save less in 10 years but $80k in 20 years 🤑
Couldn’t pay me to go solar 😒
Click your choice to see results and earn rewards to spend on home upgrades.

While some commenters advised the buyer to insist that the owner buy out the panels, the original poster said that the housing market was extremely competitive in their area. 
“I’ll likely lose the house if I ask the seller to pay,” they explained. 
“I don’t want to lose the house. So, as long as I am even or saving money over no solar, then I am fine,” the user added.
It can be complicated to navigate all your options for installing solar panels, but TCD has partners to help you understand your options and find the best system for your situation. 
If you’re ready to start your bill-slashing journey, there are several free resources. 
• EnergySage can help you save up to $10,000 on installations by curating competitive bids from local installers 
• Not ready to spend up front? Palmetto’s $0-down LightReach solar leasing program can lower your utility rate by up to 20%
• TCD’s Solar Explorer makes it easy to access exclusive offers from preferred partners 
Pairing solar panels with energy-efficient electric appliances, such as heat pumps, can further lower your utility bills. 
TCD partner Mitsubishi can help you cut energy costs by finding you a highly efficient heating and cooling system that’s perfect for your home and budget. 
While you’re at it, consider installing the free Palmetto Home app. 
By completing in-app challenges and cutting down your home energy use, you can unlock up to $5,000 in rewards to upgrade your home.  
Get TCD’s free newsletters for easy tips to save more, waste less, and make smarter choices — and earn up to $5,000 toward clean upgrades in TCD’s exclusive Rewards Club.
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Silicon Ranch to host community meeting on proposed Stockton solar project  Gulf Coast Media
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