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The Electronics Reuse and Recycling Alliance (TERRA) has added COM2 Recycling Solutions to its certified recycling network, broadening the group’s reach in solar panel, plastics and CRT glass processing as electronics companies push deeper into adjacent material streams.
TERRA’s global network of electronics reuse and recycling providers spans more than 120 certified locations across 10 countries. COM2 has operated since 2001 in the greater Chicago area and in Ontario, Canada, processing electronics into material streams including glass, plastic, iron, aluminum, copper and circuit boards.
COM2 Vice President Saheem Baloch told E-Scrap News that the company entered solar panel recycling in 2023 in response to growing supplier inquiries and demand from ceramic customers using its frit product.
Frit is a finely ground glass or ceramic material, often made from recycled glass, that is used as a raw input in products such as tiles, glazes and other industrial ceramics.
He said COM2 was using recovered glass to offset declining CRT volumes, adding that the company was the first to achieve R2’s photovoltaic panel-specific processing certification.
According to TERRA, COM2 brings plastics processing and foam packaging handling capabilities to the network, extending its reach beyond traditional electronics streams into material categories that often lack strong recycling options.
“E-waste is the fastest growing and most complex waste stream in the world, and the definition of electronics recycling continues to evolve,” Steven Napoli, TERRA’s president and CEO, said. “COM2 Recycling represents the type of forward-thinking partner our network needs to address emerging waste streams at scale.”
Baloch said in the announcement that the partnership would broaden access to recovery options for materials that have historically lacked consistent end markets or processing pathways.
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Telling stories that matter in a dynamic, evolving state.
Colorado SunFest 2026, hosted by The Colorado Sun at the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs, will be a daylong event bringing Coloradans together to discuss what makes A Better Colorado on Friday, May 1.
The legislature has passed a bill easing the way for Coloradans to buy one-panel solar power kits and plug them into their apartment walls to cut their electricity bills, the kind of “balcony solar” that has quickly become extremely popular in Europe.
Sponsoring legislators expect Gov. Jared Polis to sign it, and the governor’s office said Polis, a Democrat, is in favor of expanding access to clean, renewable energy and will take a careful look at House Bill 1007.
“Breaking down barriers to solar energy for Coloradans is an important way to save people money on energy and Governor Polis does not want red tape and bureaucracy from local governments, utilities or HOAs to prevent Coloradans from utilizing portable solar energy,” a spokesperson for the governor said.
Rep. Rebekah Stewart, who cosponsored the legislation, called it an opportunity for Coloradans to lower their utility bills.
“Safety is top of mind for us, and this bill outlines safety standards for plug-in solar devices and meter collars,” said Stewart, D-Lakewood. “Renters and those living in shared spaces will soon have more opportunities to consider solar at an affordable price point thanks to our bill.”
Cosponsor Rep. Lesley Smith, D-Boulder, said Colorado would become the third state to make balcony solar an option for consumers.
“In Colorado, we have three hundred days of sunshine,” Smith said. “It’s time to let apartment dwellers and those that can’t afford rooftop solar take advantage of the clean energy provided by the sun to lower their utility bills.”
One portable panel the size of a full-length mirror can plug directly into home or apartment sockets or one of the increasingly popular home storage batteries. They can be bolted to a deck or patio or hung out a window, generating enough electricity to power crucial appliances like refrigerators or store up enough energy for an outage lasting a few hours.
Technology improvements, regulatory reform and a growing audience of solar-educated consumers are pushing legislatures across the country for laws requiring regulators and utilities to ease installation and acceptance of the panels. Homeowners who can’t afford a $30,000 rooftop system, or apartment dwellers who wanted in on solar savings, point to Utah’s recent passage of a bill and are urging their Colorado representatives to do the same, state legislators have said.
A plug-in system with a storage battery should be available for about $2,000 when the Colorado market opens up after the expected signing of House Bill 1007, solar industry representatives say. They are excited about a popular new product at a time when federal subsidies and rules have turned against renewable energy.
According to the bill, consumers would not need approval from retail or wholesale electric providers before installing the devices, and no one can impose “unreasonable” conditions on installing and using the panels.
A second part of the bill would ease the way for so-called “meter collars,” a receptacle plug-in to a home’s existing electric meter that makes a safe two-way connection to the grid for a full rooftop solar array, with a large battery storage system. The collars can be installed for about $500 to $700, and preclude the need for a full electrical circuit panel upgrade that can run up to $10,000.
Later versions of the bill included additions to allow the local utility to require notification when a new device will be installed, assurances that installed equipment has been approved by independent testing labs like UL, and allowances for reasonable limits on the size, location and secure installation to satisfy apartment landlords.
Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Michael Booth is The Sun’s environment writer, and co-author of The Sun’s weekly climate and health newsletter The Temperature. He and John Ingold host the weekly SunUp podcast on The Temperature topics every Thursday. He is co-author… More by Michael Booth
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CT power company acquires solar project at New York train station Hartford Business Journal
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Congress has been working in the House Ag Committee on getting the Farm Bill No. 2. It’s a five-year farm bill legislation that would extend many of the major decisions that were made in the big, beautiful bill passed early. One flashpoint came up during this markup, which involved federal support for solar installations on farmland. The bill would limit U.S. Department of Agriculture funding for solar arrays larger than five acres, although projects up to 50 acres could still qualify if most of the electricity that they generated was used on the farm.
There’s also a rooftop and builded mounting panels would not be affected. Supporters of these restrictions argue that these large scale solar projects are removing productive farmland from agriculture and has been doing that for decades. Representative Dave Taylor, a Republican of Ohio, said solar arrays are taking vast swaths of farmland into large term leases.
Austin Scott of Georgia said he has seen forests cleared to make way for large solar installations. And Democrats attempted to remove the restrictions, calling on a potential barrier for renewable energy development was needed in these rural communities. Well, that was from Bunzinski.
Ultimately, he withdrew his amendment after a lengthy debate.
Audio Reporting by Tyron Spearman for Southeast AgNet.
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RICHMOND COUNTY, N.C. — Several people are facing charges following a lengthy investigation into thefts and damage of copper wire from solar farms across Richmond County, according to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies say they are linked to thefts at a solar farm on County Home Road in Rockingham.
Roger Gathings and Christopher Heflin were charged with felony conspiracy to commit larceny of nonferrous metals and felony possession of stolen property. They are also facing additional charges of Injuring an Energy Facility, and First Degree Trespass to Infrastructure.
Savannah Mills, 28, of Cordova was charged felony obtaining property by false pretense and felony possession of stolen property.
Deputies said they expect additional arrests in this case.
In a social media post they said, “Copper theft at solar farms is a rising global issue, with thieves targeting valuable cabling, causing damage that can exceed $100,000 and prolonged repair times…investigators remain dedicated to pursuing and resolving additional cases involving these thefts in Richmond County.”
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Intertek Group, a global leader in quality assurance, has acquired a cutting-edge solar PV laboratory in Ahmedabad from Mitsui Chemicals India. This strategic move enhances Intertek’s service offerings in India’s rapidly expanding solar energy sector.
With India’s ambitious target of 500 GW of non-fossil fuel power capacity by 2030, including 280 GW from solar, the demand for reliable quality assurance solutions is soaring. The new lab will provide comprehensive ISO 17025 accredited testing services, supporting Indian and international solar PV manufacturers to streamline operations and gain market access.
Ajay Kapoor, Intertek’s Regional Managing Director for South Asia, stated that this acquisition reinforces the company’s commitment to India’s energy transition. Sunny Rai emphasized the lab’s role in facilitating market access for both Indian manufacturers abroad and international players within India.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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The Cortlandville Town Board has unanimously approved a 60-day extension of two moratoriums—one on solar development and another on battery energy storage systems (BESS). The extensions are intended to prevent a roughly two-week gap before new local laws governing these systems are expected to be enacted.
Keegan Coughlin of Coughlin & Gerhart, serving as legal counsel to the town, addressed the board during the meeting. He presented two resolutions for approval, allowing draft versions of the proposed local laws to be sent to both town and county planning boards for review and recommendations following minor revisions. Coughlin also advised the board to designate itself as lead agency for the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) process, noting the review will likely be extensive due to proposed zoning changes.
Coughlin emphasized that the board’s role will be to strike a balance—implementing reasonable restrictions that protect the community and align with the town’s comprehensive plan, without effectively banning such developments altogether. He cautioned that a complete ban could be deemed unconstitutional and overturned in court.
“And so I think the committee and ultimately the town board are going to do a good job of balancing those two things,” Coughlin said. “You’ve heard from developers that it’s close and that you’re putting them through the wringer. Honestly, the end result will probably leave everyone a little unhappy, but it will protect the community.”
After unanimously approving the resolutions to forward the draft laws for review, the board also voted unanimously to extend both moratoriums for an additional 60 days.
Coughlin noted this marks the second extension of the solar moratorium, adding that the town has actively gathered input from residents and developers throughout the process. He also said the Solar and BESS Committee continues to evaluate more than 30 recommendations provided by the county planning board following its initial review.
A public hearing on the proposed solar and BESS laws is now scheduled for Wednesday, May 6, at 5:30 p.m. at the Raymond G. Thorpe Municipal Building, 3577 Terrace Road in Cortland.
"Industrial scale" solar farms planned by foreign-owned firms have been attacked by the leader of the Green Party on a county council.
Catherine Rowett, from Norfolk County Council, said overseas investors were aiming to make huge profits and called for solar projects to be locally owned.
Some of the UK's largest solar sites are planned for Norfolk, including the East Pye development – which would cover the equivalent of about 1,500 football pitches.
Island Green Power (IGP), which is behind the East Pye project in South Norfolk, said that the scheme would help meet the UK government's "need for secure affordable and low carbon energy" .
Rowett has been speaking to BBC Norfolk as part of a series of interviews with local party leaders ahead of next month's local elections.
With 84 seats up for grabs, the Greens currently have four councillors.
While the party is traditionally in favour of renewables, she said she was opposed to "industrial scale energy infrastructure schemes" such as the East Pye development at a series of sites in and around Long Stratton, which covers 2,700 acres (1,090 hectares).
IGP is owned by the Australian firm Macquarie Asset Management.
"The basic thing is that these shocking schemes are [proposed by] foreign investors looking to make a profit out of our ridiculous energy prices," said Rowett.
"It's a huge profit margin for those who can get some renewable energy from our sunshine and take the profits offshore."
She said countryside solar schemes should be smaller and locally operated, and called for a stronger drive for solar panels to be installed on rooftops of public and private buildings instead.
East Pye has faced strong opposition from politicians in the other main parties on the council including the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Reform UK.
An IGP spokesperson said the company was a UK taxpayer and pointed to the extensive work that has already gone into a Development Consent Order application.
They added that a "thorough and transparent" process would allow all interested parties to make their views known.
"If consented, the scheme would make a long term contribution to clean and secure energy generation, while mitigating any impacts and responding sensitively to its local environment," the spokesperson said.
The Greens have had a strong base of support in Norwich for two decades, Rowett won her West Depwade county council seat three years ago, and at the 2024 general election Adrian Ramsay won the new Waveney Valley constituency.
Rowett said she hoped the party would win more council seats outside the city with its policies including free bus travel for under-25s, reducing speed limits on single-track rural roads and increasing investment in children's centres for young families.
"I think both in the city and in rural areas, there's a good feeling in the polls," she explained.
A full list of the candidates in the Norfolk County Council election can be found here.
BBC Radio Norfolk will be speaking to the other council group leaders over the next week.
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Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Three candidates for Newcastle City Council have been accused of "horrendous" social media comments.
Residents of a travellers site say they would be impacted by noise from a planned energy storage site.
We have analysed some of the policies in the Scottish Lib Dems' manifesto for the 2026 Holyrood election.
The large fire means people cannot drop off electricals at tips in Norfolk until further notice.
Moses Fernandes pleads guilty to manslaughter but will go on trial for the murder of Terry McFadyen.
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California’s solar property tax exclusion is set to expire on January 1, 2027 and Nevada County Assessor Rolf Kleinhans is advising residents considering a solar installation to plan ahead.
California’s solar property tax exclusion is set to expire on January 1, 2027 and Nevada County Assessor Rolf Kleinhans is advising residents considering a solar installation to plan ahead.
Assessor Rolf Kleinhans advises property owners considering solar panel installation to plan ahead, as California’s property tax exclusion for active solar energy systems is scheduled to expire on Jan. 1, 2027, unless the state extends it.
The state’s Active Solar Energy System Exclusion allowed many homeowners to add solar energy systems without increasing their property tax assessment. After the sunset date, new solar installations may be treated as taxable new construction. Homeowners with existing solar systems will continue to receive the exclusion, even when the law sunsets.
What is a Solar Exclusion?
The California State Board of Equalization explains that the property tax incentive for installing an active solar energy system is provided as a new construction exclusion. This means that installing a qualifying solar energy system does not increase or decrease the assessed value of an existing property for tax purposes.
In practical terms, adding solar panels will not raise your property taxes. In most cases, once the local building department issues a permit and notifies the Assessor’s Office, the exclusion is automatically applied. No additional paperwork is typically required from the property owner.
What Qualifies as an Active Solar Energy System?
Under California Revenue and Taxation Code Section 73(b)(2), an active solar energy system is defined as a system that collects, stores, or distributes solar energy. This generally includes solar panel systems designed to meet a property’s electricity needs.
However, not all solar-related systems qualify for the exclusion. The following are not eligible:
Learn More
For additional information about the Active Solar Energy System Exclusion, please visit the California State Board of Equalization’s Active Solar Energy System Exclusion.
Additional questions?
Visit us online at Nevada County Assessor’s Office, email us at assessor@nevadacountyca.gov, call 530-265-1232 or stop by our office at 950 Maidu Avenue in Nevada City.
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NREL researcher Jordan Macknick works with teams from University of Massachusetts (UMass) Clean Energy Extension and Hyperion on a photovoltaic dual-use research project at the UMass Crop Animal Research and Education Center in South Deerfield, MA. Photo by Dennis Schroeder / NREL.
The project is part of the DOE InSPIRE, which is seeking to improve the environmental compatibility and mutual benefits of solar development with agriculture and native landscapes. Photo by Dennis Schroeder / NREL.
The project team is researching simultaneously growing crops under PV arrays while producing electricity from the panels. Photo by Dennis Schroeder / NREL.
NREL researchers Jordan Macknick and Paul Torcellini along with UMass professor Stephen Herbert survey the test plot at the UMass Crop Animal Research and Education Center in South Deerfield, MA. Photo by Dennis Schroeder / NREL.
These sheep live at the La Ola Solar Farm on Lanai Hawaii. They keep the weeds and grass trimmed down in the hard to reach places between and under the solar panels. Photo by Merrill Smith
Photograph from a project is part of the DOE InSPIRE initiative seeking to improve the environmental compatibility and mutual benefits of solar development with agriculture and native landscapes. Photo by Dennis Schroeder / NREL.
Photograph from a project is part of the DOE InSPIRE initiative seeking to improve the environmental compatibility and mutual benefits of solar development with agriculture and native landscapes. Photo by Dennis Schroeder / NREL.
AgriSolar Clearinghouse provides resources to support farmers and stakeholders interested in co-locating.
Farmers can benefit from solar energy in several ways—by leasing farmland for solar; installing a solar system on a house, barn, or other building; or through agrivoltaics. Agrivoltaics is defined as agriculture, such as crop production, livestock grazing, and pollinator habitat, located underneath solar panels and/or between rows of solar panels. Solar energy offers farmers the opportunity to harvest the sun twice—the same reason land is good for farming (flat, open areas), also makes it good for solar installations. The Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) is researching the opportunities and trade-offs of agrivoltaics. This guide helps answer some questions that farmers may have about going solar and agrivoltaics.
According to the DOE’s Solar Futures Study, the United States will need to double the amount of solar energy installed per year between 2025 and 2030 to decarbonize the electricity sector by 2035. Locating solar energy on farmland could significantly increase the available land for solar development, while maintaining land in agricultural production and expanding economic opportunities for farmers, rural communities, and the solar industry.
Read more about the potential of agrivoltaics for the U.S. solar industry, farmers, and communities. You can also read about our research on agrivoltaics through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s InSPIRE project, which includes an agrivoltaics primer, published research portal, and map of agrivoltaic sites in the United States.
Farmers interested in learning more about agrivoltaics can visit the AgriSolar Clearinghouse, which connects farmers, land managers, and researchers with trusted resources to support the growth of co-located solar and sustainable agriculture. The AgriSolar Clearinghouse also offers a helpful guide on getting started with agrivoltaics.
The height of photovoltaic (PV) panels can be raised to allow for easier access to crops. Raising the height of PV panels, however, can increase the cost of the solar installation due to the need for additional steel for the foundational posts. The length of steel foundational posts underground may also need to be increased to accommodate the additional wind loading.
Another common way to adapt the design of a solar installation for agrivoltaics is to increase the spacing between panels and between rows, which allows for additional sunlight to reach the crops and increases the accessibility of the site to equipment. Increasing spacing, however, decreases the amount of electricity that can be produced on a given piece of land, so there is a trade-off between solar and agricultural productivity.
There is significant opportunity to produce large amounts of solar energy on farmland. Agricultural land in the U.S. has the technical potential to provide 27 terawatts of solar energy capacity. This is a quarter of the total U.S. solar energy capacity of 115 TW. Only 0.3% of farmland is expected to be used for solar energy by 2035.
There is no documented evidence of solar panels increasing food prices. However, there is potential to use agrivoltaics branding on crops to increase the desirability of products. This could result in the products commanding higher prices.
The Agrisolar Clearinghouse has an interactive map that identifies federal, state, and local financial incentives, tax breaks, and other relevant financial programs that support agrivoltaics. Federal tax credits like the 30% investment tax credit are available to homeowners and businesses, and you should check with a tax expert for financial guidance on how to access these incentives. For example, businesses are eligible for additional credits, such as the energy community bonus, which are not available to homeowners.
The average lease payment for solar installations can vary based on several factors, including the size of the solar installation, location, and specific terms negotiated with the solar developer. Lease payments are typically structured as a fixed annual, monthly fee per acre, or a percentage of the energy generated by the solar panels. Contact solar developers in your area for more information.
Depending on the lease terms, ground-mounted solar may or may not be allowed on the site. If it is allowed and current farming operations are suitable for a ground-mounted solar PV array or if unused land exists, ground-mounted solar PV may be an option.
When considering the ground-mounted solar energy, it is also important to consider soil compaction and its effects on soil health. Heavy equipment used during installation can exacerbate compaction, which reduces pore space in the soil, limiting water infiltration and root growth. These effects can be reduced through the utilization of low-impact site preparation and construction techniques, as well as decompacting soils after construction. Developers can use software to model preconstruction grading needs and choose the appropriate torque tube height and racking systems for the specific area in order to minimize soil compaction.
Solar facilities can be designed with increased spacing between rows to allow for access with small tractors or other farm equipment. There is no one-size-fits-all solar design and developers should account for land and farming needs in the design process.
You should not burn crops underneath or around solar installations; this could lead to electrical fires and damaged equipment. If there is a need to conduct annual burns, this should be communicated to the solar developer upfront during the site selection process.
Solar can be installed in flood plains, but all electrical equipment will have to be installed above the projected level of flooding. Raising equipment could increase the cost of installation and may negatively impact the project economics. Also, the cost of insurance could be higher for PV systems in a flooding area. Areas that do not flood may be better suited for PV installations.
Cable management—which is the organization of cables connected to electrical devices—is crucial for ensuring the efficiency of the solar installation and minimizing the impact on agricultural activities. The preferable cable management technique depends on your specific needs, aesthetic considerations, safety concerns, budget constraints, and local regulations. Options for cable management include:
Consulting with a solar developer, considering the impact on agricultural activities, and evaluating long-term maintenance requirements will help you determine the most suitable cable management approach to take.
Herbicide is currently sprayed at some solar facilities to prevent weed growth. Agrochemicals should not present an issue. Care should be taken to not spray panels themselves, but if it occurs, the panels can be washed off with water as they are made of glass and steel or aluminum and have been designed to withstand outdoor conditions.
Yes, solar can power irrigation equipment. Solar can offset power required for pumping and provide power to remote irrigation systems, requiring no grid connection.
If agricultural or grazing activities require equipment, machinery, or fencing, it is essential that these items are compatible with the solar design and configuration and will not lead to solar infrastructure damage. This not only includes consideration of panel heights and inter-row spacings, but also whether or not equipment would need to be attached to any part of the solar infrastructure, especially moving parts of tracking systems. Compact and low-profile machinery can allow for navigation between solar panels without causing damage. Automated or GPS-guided machinery can also be used to enhance precision and reduce the need for manual intervention, making it easier to navigate the layout of the solar panel system.
Adjacent agricultural activities can lead to increased soiling on panels from airborne dust and particulates generated during tilling, planting, or harvesting activities, or through pollen released by crops such as corn. Power generation loss due to soiling should be incorporated into PV system generation estimates. NREL’s PVWatts soiling calculator assumes that on average, 2% of power potential will be lost to soiling, but these losses are highly dependent on local weather and soiling conditions.
Land can be converted back to agricultural uses at the end of the operational life for solar installations, roughly 30 years. Depending on the solar operation, crops may or may not be present in the soil during the lifetime of the facility. Giving soil a rest can maintain soil quality and contribute to the biodiversity of agricultural land. On the other hand, implementing agrivoltaics and planting crops such as legumes underneath the solar installation can increase nutrient levels in the soil.
Sheep are grazed at some solar facilities in the United States and Europe. For grazing systems, most standard utility-scale solar panel heights can accommodate sheep grazing, but elevated panel heights are generally needed for cattle grazing. Research to facilitate cattle grazing under solar arrays is ongoing.
For all animals, wire management systems should be properly encased to avoid interactions with the animals. In many cases, traditional utility-scale solar infrastructure does not need to be modified significantly to support livestock grazing. According to data gathered by NREL’s InSPIRE project, as of November 2023, over 4,000 megawatts of power generated by solar panels in the United States include sheep grazing underneath. Solar operators can benefit from sheep grazing through a reduced need for mowing, herbicide, and other vegetation management needs at the site. Local shepherds may also benefit through payment for managing the grazing.
Silicon-based PV cells are the most common solar PV technology. Most solar panels have a glass layer on top that protects the PV cell and an aluminum or steel frame. An Electric Power Research Institute report found that “leaching of trace metals from modules is unlikely to present a significant risk due to the sealed nature of the installed cells.”
Some solar modules use cadmium telluride (CdTe). Cadmium compounds are toxic, but studies show that such compounds cannot be released from CdTe modules during normal operation or even during fires. Industrial incineration temperatures, which are much higher than grassfires, are required to release the compounds from the modules.
In some cases, agrivoltaics can improve soil health. For example, grazing sheep beneath solar panels has been shown to increase the soil organic carbon uptake. Letting the soil sit can also improve soil health.
Microclimate effects depend on the design of the solar system and the surrounding environment. Air temperatures tend to be cooler under the panels during the day and warmer under the panels at night. One study found that soil temperatures under the panels were less than that of soil temperatures in full sun all day and higher at night. There have been no studies linking solar development with pest problems or invasive species, but studies have shown that crops and native plants can thrive underneath solar installations.
Agrivoltaics can enable farmers to grow shade-tolerant crops and to diversify crop selection, while also extending growing seasons and reducing water requirements. Solar panels can cool crops and vegetation underneath during the day due to shading and keep them warmer at night. Some studies have shown that these temperature differences cancel each other out, so that daily average crop temperatures are similar under panels compared to full sun crops. High temperatures are often detrimental to crop yields. One study found that shading from solar panels produced lettuce crop weight equal to or greater than lettuce grown in full sun. In other cases, depending on the crops and growing conditions, impacts on yields can be more nuanced and depend on system design.
Yes, solar installations can support native vegetation and pollinator habitat species. Low-height plants can thrive underneath solar panels, avoiding the need for mowing and keeping the panels unshaded. Fifteen states are using state-specific Pollinator-Friendly Scorecards to promote planting of pollinator habitat underneath ground-mounted solar projects. Over thirty states are using state-neutral scorecards. Pollinator habitat under solar arrays can benefit farms by increasing local agricultural yield and can also host beekeeping operations.
A total of 15 state scorecards and one nonspecific scorecard available
A SETO-funded project led by the University of Illinois Chicago is studying the economic, ecological, and performance impacts of pollinator plantings co-located at five solar PV facilities (10 megawatts or larger) in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. The project is developing guidance and decision-making tools, such as a pollinator planting manual, cost-benefit calculator, and native seed mix selection tool, for solar developers and landowners.
For more information about pollinator-friendly standards and practices for solar sites, visit the Center for Pollinators in Energy website.
Learn about the benefits of establishing pollinator-friendly plants under and around ground-mounted solar arrays.
Read “The 5 C’s of Agrivoltaics Success” from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s InSPIRE project, which uses insights from agrivoltaic field research to identify lessons that enable appropriate agrivoltaic deployment, successful research, and effective partnerships.
In early 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and DOE held American Farms, Rural Benefits virtual listening sessions to better understand the impact of renewable energy development on farmers and rural communities. Learn more about these resources.
Learn more about SETO’s agrivoltaics research, see other solar energy resources for professionals, and check out our agrivoltaics blog posts below.
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News 12 Staff
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Apr 18, 2026, 6:22 AM
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Updated
A rooftop solar panel caught fire and left a Toms River home severely damaged on Friday.
The Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention says crews responded to a report about visible flames on the top of the two-story residence.
They initiated fire suppression operations and began investigating the source.
Further assessment determined that it was caused by an electrical issue within the solar panel system mounted near the back of the roof.
The flames were extinguished shortly after it was upgraded to a second alarm.
Officials say the home was deemed unsafe for occupancy.
It is unclear how many residents were displaced.
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A new metric for assessing total system costs puts a least-cost mix of offshore wind and solar at about €46 ($54.20)/MWh in a future climate-neutral energy system for Denmark. Researchers tell pv magazine that figure is less than half the equivalent cost of nuclear under the same conditions.
Image: distelAPPArath, Pixabay.
A peer-reviewed study using Denmark as a case study has found that renewable energy portfolios outperform nuclear power on total system cost in the modeled future integrated Danish energy system, once the expenses of grid balancing, storage, and sector coupling are included in the comparison.
The “SLCOE – system-based LCOE for comparing energy technologies in different systems” study, recently published in Energy and led by Henrik Lund of Aalborg University, introduces system-based levelized cost of energy (SLCOE) as an alternative to the standard LCOE metric. LCOE only measures the cost of producing a unit of electricity from a given technology, but SLCOE adds the cost of integrating that technology into the wider energy system. The co-author list includes 10 other researchers.
“While the LCOE is a function of the technology itself, the SLCOE is a function of both the technology and the energy system context in which it operates,” the paper states.
Co-author Christian Breyer, a professor of solar economy at LUT University in Finland, told pv magazine that the metric addresses a fundamental gap. “If one only optimizes within the electricity sector, one will not be able to identify these much better solutions,” said Breyer.
The study models Denmark’s current electricity-only grid and a future climate-neutral energy system with full sector coupling, using the EnergyPLAN model for hourly simulation across all energy sectors. The authors note that some conclusions are Denmark-specific, given its wind-dominant resource base and existing flexibility infrastructure.
In today’s electricity-only system, system costs are high across all technologies when each is modeled as the sole supply source. Solar carries a combined SLCOE of approximately €/MWh in that context – not because PV is inherently expensive to integrate, the authors argue, but because any single technology faces steep system costs without the flexibility options a fully coupled energy system provides. Nuclear reaches approximately €141 ($166.3)/MWh in the same electricity-only context. The least-cost mix of offshore wind, solar, and gas combined-cycle turbines reaches approximately €66/MWh.
In a future climate-neutral integrated system, which is the paper’s central comparison, nuclear’s SLCOE is approximately €100/MWh. The least-cost mix of offshore wind and PV reaches about €46/MWh. Offshore wind alone also reaches about €46/MWh. Onshore wind reaches about €106/MWh, while solar reaches about €178/MWh as a standalone technology. Its cost falls sharply when combined with wind in the least-cost portfolio.
The driver of that cost reduction for renewables is sector coupling, said Breyer.
“We document how essential it is to include the whole energy system in the search for least cost solutions,” Breyer said. Sector coupling provides thermal storage, hydrogen storage via electrolysis, flexible heat pump operation, and electric vehicle smart charging – options unavailable in an electricity-only grid, he added.
The sensitivity analysis tests four cost assumption sets – IEA World Energy Outlook 2023 and 2024 projections and two Danish Energy Agency scenarios, one applying 50% higher capital expenditure on renewables to reflect post-2022 inflation. The cost of flexibility technologies is also stress-tested with a 50% capex increase, with minimal effect on the results.
Under all scenarios in the future integrated system, renewables outperform nuclear on SLCOE. Nuclear does not appear in the least-cost solution under any assumption set tested.
The paper uses International Energy Agency (IEA) assumptions of €480/kW for utility-scale solar in 2050. Breyer noted that current real-world utility-scale solar is closer to €400/kW, meaning the modeled solar advantage may understate what current market conditions would produce.
For solar-dominant markets outside Denmark – southern Europe, the Middle East, India – where wind resources are limited, Breyer pointed to external literature indicating batteries and flexible demand serve as the primary integration tools.
“The combination of very low-cost solar PV LCOE and low-cost battery capex emerge as the central backbone of any energy system in the Sunbelt,” he said. Those figures are not part of the Denmark SLCOE modeling.
The paper explicitly excludes the cost of nuclear waste storage facilities and the opportunity cost of foregone renewable deployment during nuclear construction. Breyer said their inclusion would widen the cost gap further, although the paper does not quantify this.
For nuclear, the paper models an effective capital cost of €10,000/kW in EnergyPLAN. The paper notes that this is not a literal overnight cost but a modeling device: applying an 8% discount rate to the IEA’s overnight cost assumption of €4,500/kW yields the same annualized capital burden as assuming €10,000/kW at a uniform rate. The paper notes that nuclear capital costs in recent European projects have exceeded initial estimates by roughly 100%, and that a literature review of nuclear learning rates found a range of negative 25% to zero – the least favorable of any generation technology reviewed.
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Canadian utility Hydro-Quebec has revealed the long list of bidders in its 300 MW solar tender. A total 60 bids were submitted with a cumulative capacity of 481 MW.
Image: Dad Hotel, Unsplash
Canadian provincial utility Hydro-Quebec has announced its 300 MW solar tender is oversubscribed, after receiving bids for 60 projects with a combined capacity of 481 MW.
The utility’s solar tender launched last May, offering long-term electricity contracts to new solar projects with a maximum installed capacity of 25 MW that can be connected to its integrated network by the end of 2029 at the latest.
The 60 bids are spread across 14 of the province’s administrative regions. Hydro-Quebec says around 40% of the proposed projects involve the participation of a local municipality or an Indigenous community.
An update on the utility’s website says bids will be evaluated over the coming months, with results expected to be announced during the first quarter of next year. The update adds that a maximum 300 MW of projects will be selected.
The tender is one of the first steps in Hydro-Quebec’s plan to deploy 11 GW of clean energy by 2035, including 3 GW of solar, first announced last May.
Last week, the electricity system operator in the Canadian province of Ontario approved 12 solar projects with a combined capacity of 915 MW through its long-term energy procurement exercise.
Earlier this year, the Canadian Renewable Energy Association told pv magazine Canada’s cumulative solar capacity could surge to 21 GW by the middle of next decade, up from around 5.4 GW today, largely driven by forthcoming utility-scale procurements. The association added that nine of Canada’s provinces are hosting forthcoming calls.
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WILLISTON — A motion to require all future windmills to be a mile away from existing structures — a significant increase from the current minimum distance of 1,400 feet — failed in a 3-3 vote at the Williams County Planning & Zoning Commission April 16 meeting.
Although most commission members agreed some type of variance would be appropriate to address residents’ concerns about windmills being too close to their properties, some disagreed on the specifics of how to go about this. As the vote resulted in a tie, the motion failed and the commission unanimously voted to table the motion and revisit it at a future meeting.
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Voting in favor of the proposed variance were Barry Ramberg, George Pederson and Dan Kalil. Voting against the variance were Mark Barstad, Brett Brothers and Tori Siemieniewski.
The proposed amendment to a county ordinance which would have made the variance was requested to the commission by county resident Michael Horob, who was present at the meeting. During public comment, Horob and other residents argued that having massive wind turbines so close to their residences was an eyesore and that they had no recourse to prevent companies from setting them up very close to their properties. Other residents urged a broader pause through a year-long moratorium on new wind farms as well as data centers, citing aesthetic, environmental and economic concerns until the county could adequately research the full effects of these structures and sufficiently protect its residents from any negative impacts.
The split commission debated how to balance the rights of residents who may not mind living closer to a windmill with protecting those who would feel negatively affected by one being set up near their backyards. Those in favor of the mile-long setback argued that the burden of requesting a variance to the amendment should fall on those who would want a wind turbine closer to their homes, not on those who wanted them to be farther away. The opposing half of the commission worried that the significant setback would make future wind energy projects nearly impossible, serving as a de facto moratorium with no set end date.
There was also discussion among the commission on the distinction between occupied and unoccupied structures, with some members exploring the idea of including the variance for occupied buildings but keeping the existing 1,400-foot distance for uninhabited buildings. Development Services Supervisor Kameron Hymer told the commission that although there were different ways the county could try to determine which properties in the county were occupied or unoccupied, it could be a lengthy process with no guarantee of 100% accuracy. One resident expressed concern over this approach, noting that structures that are not currently occupied may have the potential to house people in the future.
As the motion for the variance failed, the ordinance currently maintains a minimum 1,400-feet distance from any personal property and wind energy projects. However, the Planning & Zoning commission expressed commitment to revisiting this issue with more information and a more solid plan of how to move forward.
The next regular Williams County Planning & Zoning Commission meeting is scheduled for May 21 at 6 p.m. in the Williams County Administration Building.
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Groupe Filatex Commissions First Solar PV Plant To Accelerate Madagascar’s Clean Energy Transition SolarQuarter
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At sunrise, the Polish countryside feels almost cinematic. Mist rolls gently over fields, and as the light grows stronger, thousands of solar panels begin to shimmer in unison—quiet, efficient, and transformative. A decade ago, this landscape was dominated by coal-fired energy. Today, it tells a different story—one of urgency, innovation, and a nation rewriting its energy future.
Poland’s shift toward solar energy isn’t just a trend—it’s a calculated leap into resilience. As energy prices fluctuate and climate concerns intensify, the country is turning to the most abundant resource it has: sunlight.
The Growth Behind the Headlines
The
global
poland solar energy market has rapidly emerged as one of Europe’s most dynamic renewable sectors. According to Mordor Intelligence, the market is projected to grow at a CAGR of over 10% during the forecast period. This growth reflects a combination of policy support, technological advancement, and rising demand for clean energy alternatives.
What makes this expansion particularly striking is its visibility. From residential rooftops in suburban neighborhoods to utility-scale solar farms in rural regions, the increasing Poland solar energy market size is evident across the country. Solar installations are no longer confined to pilot projects—they are becoming a mainstream energy solution. This momentum is also reshaping the competitive landscape. The Poland solar energy market share is distributed among a mix of local developers, international investors, and emerging technology providers, all racing to capitalize on the growing demand.
Why Poland Is Betting Big on Solar
Poland’s solar surge is driven by a convergence of factors that extend beyond environmental concerns. At its core lies a need for energy independence. Historically reliant on coal, Poland has faced mounting pressure to diversify its energy mix and reduce carbon emissions in line with European Union targets.
Solar energy offers a practical pathway forward. The cost of photovoltaic systems has dropped significantly over the past decade, making solar installations more accessible for households and businesses alike. Government incentives, including subsidies and favorable net-metering policies, have further accelerated adoption.
At the same time, rising electricity prices have pushed consumers to seek alternatives. For many Polish households, installing solar panels is no longer just an экологically conscious decision—it’s an economic one. Businesses, too, are integrating solar into their operations to reduce long-term costs and meet sustainability goals.
Poland Solar Energy Companies
A Market Still in Motion
Despite its rapid growth, the Poland solar energy market is far from reaching saturation. In fact, it remains in a phase of active evolution. New technologies, such as energy storage systems and smart grid solutions, are beginning to complement solar installations, enhancing efficiency and reliability.
However, this growth comes with challenges. Grid infrastructure is under increasing pressure as more solar capacity is added. Managing intermittent energy supply and ensuring stable distribution will require continued investment and innovation.
Regulatory dynamics also play a crucial role. Policy adjustments can either accelerate or slow down market expansion, making it essential for stakeholders to remain adaptable. Still, the overall trajectory remains upward, supported by strong demand and long-term strategic goals.
The Human Side of the Solar Story
Beyond statistics and projections, the solar boom in Poland is deeply human. It’s visible in the decisions of homeowners who choose to invest in rooftop panels, in the engineers designing next-generation solar systems, and in the communities benefiting from cleaner air and new economic opportunities. Solar energy is also creating jobs—across installation, maintenance, manufacturing, and research. This shift is not just transforming how energy is produced but also how livelihoods are built.
In rural areas, where large-scale solar farms are often located, the impact is particularly significant. Land that once generated limited income is now part of a thriving renewable ecosystem, contributing to both local and national growth.
What Comes Next?
As Poland continues its solar journey, the question is no longer whether solar energy will play a central role—it already does. The real question is how far and how fast this transformation can go.
Will advancements in storage technology solve the intermittency challenge? Can grid infrastructure keep pace with rising capacity? And how will market competition shape the future of solar innovation?
Closing Reflection
Poland’s solar boom is more than a shift in energy sources—it’s a redefinition of possibility. What was once considered an ambitious goal is now unfolding in real time, panel by panel, field by field.
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The hum of machines never really stops. Inside sprawling battery factories across Asia-Pacific, robotic arms glide with precision, assembling the invisible engines of modern life. Sparks flicker, conveyor belts roll endlessly, and somewhere in that synchronized motion lies the answer to a global question: what will power our future?
By
2 days ago in
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How long must one be dead before they’re considered an ancestor? This is the question I’ve been sitting with since yesterday.
By Aspen Marie 12 days ago in Journal
I spent two years waiting for a promotion that never came. Two years of showing up early, staying late, saying yes to everything, doing work that went beyond my job description and quietly assuming that someone above me was paying attention and that eventually the right moment would arrive where they would pull me aside and tell me my efforts had been noticed and rewarded…..
By Lara Croftabout 10 hours ago in Journal
There are victories so small they barely make a sound. No applause. No witness. No clean finish line. Just something that, on the outside, looks almost laughably ordinary. A message sent. A call returned. A dish washed. A door opened. A form completed. Proof of life disguised as administration.
By Jason Hair-Wynn5 days ago in Motivation
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2-Piece 30A 1000V Solar Fuse Holder Set – IP67 Waterproof, With Reverse Current Protection Diode, For PV Systems ruhrkanal.news
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PLANS have been revealed for a new 3‑megawatt solar energy scheme at the MoD Sealand site in Deeside.
A consultation has been launched over the proposal which would see a former playing field redeveloped to supply renewable electricity directly to defence and research facilities on the base.
The proposal, submitted on behalf of EMCOR UK, seeks full planning permission for a ground‑mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) array on 3.2 hectares of brownfield land within the MoD Sealand complex off Green Lane East.
If approved, the scheme would generate enough electricity to support on‑site operations through a private connection to the existing 11kV network, reducing reliance on the national grid.
Developers say the project would contribute to both national and Welsh Government climate targets, including Wales’s ambition to generate 70 per cent of consumed electricity from renewable sources by 2030. The solar farm would have an operational lifespan of at least 40 years.
The application site is a disused grass playing field with no public access and no trees or established vegetation. It lies within the boundaries of the MoD Sealand base, bordered by major road infrastructure including the A494 and A548, with agricultural land further east.
Although the land is designated as part of a Principal Employment Area in the Flintshire Local Development Plan, planning documents state that the site has not attracted employment development and is currently unsuitable for industrial use due to long‑standing drainage and infrastructure constraints. A previous proposal for an Advanced Technology Research Centre on the site did not proceed for these reasons.
The planning statement argues that the solar scheme represents a viable alternative use that would directly support existing high‑skilled jobs at MoD Sealand rather than displacing employment opportunities elsewhere.
According to technical studies submitted with the application, the solar development would have no significant adverse impact on the surrounding environment. The site is screened from nearby homes by existing buildings and woodland, and assessments found no unacceptable effects on landscape character or visual amenity.
The land currently supports species‑poor grassland, and the proposal includes plans to enhance biodiversity through wildflower planting, improved grassland management and the creation of habitats for insects and small mammals. Developers say this would result in a net biodiversity gain over the lifetime of the project.
Flood risk assessments classify the development as “less vulnerable” and conclude that flood risks can be adequately managed, with most surfaces remaining permeable and no increase in flooding elsewhere.
Construction of the solar array is expected to take around four months. Traffic movements and disturbance would be limited, with most components already stored on the wider MoD Sealand site. No additional lighting is proposed and existing security measures, including fencing and CCTV, would remain in place.
Once operational, the solar farm would require minimal maintenance and would operate without notable noise or emissions, the planning documents state.
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As the scheme qualifies as major development, a pre‑application public consultation is currently under way.
Feedback from local residents, community groups and statutory bodies will be summarised in a consultation report before the planning application is formally determined by Flintshire County Council.
The consultation website can be accessed via http://www.sealandsolar.co.uk/
A decision is expected later this year.
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***This story has been corrected to show that new commercial solar projects can be eligible for a tax credit if they are under construction by July 2026 or in service by the end of 2027, not necessarily both.
UNDATED-AP/Grist- Many farmers work on the thinnest margins, fighting to stay profitable. Some, looking to cut costs on electricity, turn to the federal government for a little extra cash to help them install solar panels on top of barns, grain elevators, or offices. Others turn to commercial renewable energy leases as both an alternative income stream and a way to put fallow land to work.
Within the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, two federal programs critical to the growth of solar energy production — REAP and the clean energy tax credit — have been rolled back. To document how those policy changes are affecting farmers, The Associated Press and Grist analyzed data on both commercial-scale solar projects and small-scale rural energy development across the country. They found that, so far this fiscal year, the Department of Agriculture hasn’t awarded a dollar in rural energy grants or loan guarantees. Reporters contacted roughly a quarter of the nearly 300 developers that have proposed projects on agricultural land in the last two years and found that they are either preparing their businesses to do future projects without federal support or have already lost millions in investment because of the administration’s new tax credit policies.
Bell, for his part, decided to go a different route: Instead of building on his own property, he has asked to build two new temporary barns on land owned by a commercial solar operation where he is paid to graze his sheep beneath solar panels to keep the grass down. If the business approves his request, the barns could draw cheaper power from their operation. But not every farmer has that opportunity.
The effects of these policy shifts are uneven. Some solar projects are stalled because of permitting hang-ups. Some are right on schedule. And some are moving faster than anticipated, as developers race to break ground before tax credits expire. But, taken together, the findings reveal how the collapse of federal support for solar has spread across American agriculture from major corporations to family farms.
The Energy Policy Act of 2005, signed by President George W. Bush, enacted a 30% investment tax credit for large-scale clean energy projects, boosting the solar industry. The tax credit was extended for eight years under President Barack Obama and later extended under Trump in 2020.
When President Joe Biden signed the 2022 landmark climate bill, the tax credit was extended again through 2032 or when specific emissions targets were reached. Last July, when Congress passed Trump’s tax bill, the timeline for the clean energy tax credits were again reset — in reverse. Now commercial solar projects must be under construction by July 2026 or placed in service by the end of 2027 to remain eligible for the credit.
At least 126 solar projects proposed since the beginning of 2024 are awaiting regulatory approval, according to a Grist and AP analysis of the latest information developers supplied to the Energy Information Administration. Each is near or on agricultural land, with at least one-fifth of the surrounding area used for grazing fields or crops, and would together supply about 20 gigawatts of electricity if built. That’s enough renewable energy to power about 4.5 million homes, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.
The new timeline, though, has prompted some developers to abandon projects after concluding they couldn’t move fast enough to meet the new tax credit cutoff.
Bogdan Micu, CEO of the German solar developer Alpin Sun, said it had to abandon projects representing about $6 million in investments in about 1,000 megawatts in the U.S. Northeast.
“Well. We lost our projects,” Micu said. The company simply couldn’t speed up its projects to meet the deadlines, he said.
Through REAP, the USDA issues grants and loans to farmers, ranchers, and rural businesses interested in renewable energy — like installing solar to lower utility costs. According to Richa Patel, a policy specialist at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, REAP has funded more than 19,000 grants totaling more than $1.8 billion since its inception nearly two decades ago, and backed tens of thousands of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects across the country. The program was supercharged by funding from the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, and up until then, when some congressional Republicans began to question the grant structure of the program, was largely supported by both parties. But for many of the farmers whose awards or applications were affected as Trump took office again, the past year has made farm country’s already-dire economic landscape even more difficult to weather.
Elisa Lane, a flower and fruit farmer in Hampstead, Maryland, will never forget the anxiety she felt in February 2025 when she heard the Trump administration had frozen the $30,576 REAP grant she’d been awarded in 2024 to install solar panels — with no explanation.
“Man, was that so stressful,” said Lane, who spent months worried she’d be “on the hook” for the amount that she’d already contracted a solar company to install. It was supposed to alleviate the stress of her energy bills, which she says ran around $500 a month before getting solar.
In March 2025, the agency announced it would release already-awarded grants and loans — but there appeared to be some fine print. The USDA invited recipients to voluntarily revise their proposals to align with Trump’s executive order by “eliminating Biden-era DEIA and climate mandates embedded in previous proposals.”
Although she was anxiously waiting on the funds, Lane decided not to revise her proposal after a local USDA representative advised her to do that. (The representative assured her she would receive the payment, according to emails seen by Grist and the AP.) Later that spring, she heard from the USDA that the payment would be released and she could move forward with construction. So she did, putting up the full $70,000 it cost to install the panels. By August, they were up and running on her land. By September, she received her reimbursement check covering about half the project fee from USDA — more than half a year after the funding was first frozen.
In the span of roughly seven months, the USDA froze the program’s grant funding, invited grantees to reapply without climate and DEI language, imposed sweeping new restrictions on solar on farmland, and closed future application cycles.
“It was so disruptive,” she said. “I just want to have a farm and be able to focus on my business.”
Now, she’s doing just that. The panels, to Lane, represent a long-term investment into bringing down her farm’s enormous energy bill.
Although things eventually worked out for Lane and other recent REAP grantees, the Grist and AP analysis of USDA Rural Development data found the program has not committed a single dollar in renewable energy development since September. Even though the agency said it anticipated it would do so last October, USDA never reopened REAP’s grant application cycle. Its loan guarantee program — geared toward larger farm and rural business projects — has remained open, though the analysis found that the agency has awarded no new agreements this fiscal year.
Then, on March 31, the USDA announced a suspension of all REAP grant awards so the agency may update regulations within the program to comply with an executive order issued by Trump last July. The agency noted that it “will not be making further grant awards until the new regulations are in effect,” but added that REAP guaranteed loans “will continue to be awarded in this time.”
In response to a request for comment, a USDA spokesperson said the “suspension of REAP grant awards is temporary” but did not provide further details on how long grants will be paused. Asked why the USDA has not yet issued any loans this fiscal year through the program, the spokesperson said the agency “continues to administer REAP in accordance with current guidance” and is “prioritizing program integrity and alignment with Administration direction as it conducts its review.”
Robert Bonnie, who was undersecretary for farm production and conservation at the USDA under the Biden administration, said any loss in the program’s funding will be felt throughout rural America. Part of the USDA’s role over the long term, he said, has been to channel investment into rural parts of the country while making rural prosperity part of the climate agenda.
“In places like Iowa and Texas, renewables matter, not just for additional power, and lower power bills, and clean energy, but also matters for farmers’ pocketbooks,” said Bonnie. “Anything you do to pull back on that is hugely problematic.”
For RIC Energy North America, a renewable energy developer based in New York City, the changes to the solar tax credits triggered an all-out sprint to advance every project in its pipeline, said CEO Jon Rappe. The company has about 150 solar projects in its North American portfolio with the bulk of those developments on fallow land, hayfields and former farmland.
“Now, some companies are probably going to go out and continue to sign sites, and take some risks, in case there’s an extension of tax credits or something like that,” Rappe said. “But the next generation of projects is not going to happen unless there’s some change at the federal level.”
One of RIC Energy’s projects is to develop 15 acres (6 hectares) of solar on Tim Covert’s land in the primarily agricultural town of Sheridan, New York. The community solar project, where small-scale arrays would allow low-income residents to subscribe to get monthly credits on their utility bill, offers a new source of steady revenue for Covert, a former dairy farmer who was treated for cancer in the last year and struggled to work as a result.
“I’m 100% cancer-free, but with the treatments, there’s some side effects that take a little while to get rid of,” he said, which includes brain fog, muscle soreness and depleted energy. “So it would be great if they did have it done by fall, and I started getting money.”
Under the agreement, the bigger payout, which Covert says equals roughly a quarter of his income as an electrical contractor, won’t start until the project is completed and online — and Covert isn’t sure when that will happen amid the shifting federal landscape. At the moment, he’s getting a small stipend simply for leasing his land. He’s been told construction could start as soon as the end of May, though “it seems to be changing a lot.” RIC Energy, for its part, told Grist and the AP that the construction is slated to begin late summer to early fall.
“I don’t think they’re going to stop now, because they have quite a bit of time and money invested in this thing already,” he said. “So I don’t see them pulling the plug.”
Even amid the shifting policies, some clean-energy developers say they are winning out. Solar energy is still one of the cheapest forms of energy, and energy is in higher demand than ever, partly due to artificial intelligence data center construction. What’s more, tax equity sometimes made financing projects more complicated, so in some ways losing the tax credit also broke down a barrier to getting things done, said Nick Cohen, president and CEO of Doral LLC, a large-scale solar energy and battery storage developer with about 450 megawatts in operation and about 16,000 more planned or in construction.
It’s “a very exciting time if you’re a large enough developer that was in the right place at the right time doing large projects,” he said.
“All the new rules really favor the big guys like us.”
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As global solar demand surges, can Xinyi Solar’s position as a top glass supplier turn volatility into opportunity for you? This report breaks down the business model, U.S. investor angles, and key risks. ISIN: HK0968003713
You’re eyeing solar stocks amid the green energy boom, and Xinyi Solar Holdings Ltd stands out for its critical role in photovoltaic (PV) module production. The company specializes in high-quality glass for solar panels, positioning it at the heart of the renewable energy supply chain. With governments worldwide pushing net-zero goals, Xinyi Solar’s products fuel the panels capturing sunlight worldwide, making it a pure-play bet on solar expansion.
Updated: 18.04.2026
By Elena Vasquez, Senior Markets Editor – Exploring renewable supply chains for global investors.
Xinyi Solar Holdings Ltd operates as one of the world’s largest manufacturers of glass products for solar panels, including low-iron ultra-clear glass essential for maximizing light transmission in PV modules. This focus allows the company to capture value in a high-margin niche within the broader solar industry, where glass represents a key cost component but requires specialized production scale. You benefit from this model as it ties directly to rising PV installations, with Xinyi serving major module makers globally.
The business emphasizes vertical integration, producing float glass and deep-processing it into solar-specific substrates at massive facilities primarily in China. This setup controls quality and costs, enabling competitive pricing while maintaining technological edges like coated glass for better efficiency. For investors like you, this means steady demand as solar capacity grows, though it relies on upstream silica and energy inputs.
Revenue streams come mainly from sales to tier-one PV module producers, with long-term supply agreements providing visibility. The company has expanded capacity aggressively, reaching over 10 GW-equivalent annual output in recent years, supporting its scale advantages. This model has proven resilient through industry cycles, rewarding patient shareholders with dividends amid growth.
Geographically, while production is China-centric, exports reach Europe, the U.S., and Asia, diversifying end-markets. You see this as a hedge against regional slowdowns, as global solar additions hit record levels yearly. However, the model’s success hinges on module makers’ orders, linking fortunes tightly to PV pricing trends.
Official source
All current information about Xinyi Solar Holdings Ltd from the company’s official website.
Xinyi Solar’s flagship products are its solar glass sheets, designed with anti-reflective coatings and precise thickness for front and back sheets in crystalline silicon and thin-film modules. These enable higher energy yields, appealing to efficiency-focused manufacturers. You can appreciate how this product leadership secures contracts with giants like LONGi and JinkoSolar.
Target markets span utility-scale projects, distributed generation, and emerging applications like bifacial panels, which use glass on both sides for doubled output. The company supplies to regions with aggressive renewable targets, including Europe’s REPowerEU plan and Asia’s manufacturing hubs. This broadens your exposure beyond single geographies.
Innovation includes AR-coated glass reducing reflection losses by up to 3%, boosting module performance. Production lines are optimized for large-format panels trending in the industry for cost savings. For you as an investor, these products position Xinyi at the forefront of solar tech evolution.
Emerging markets like floating solar and building-integrated PV offer growth vectors, where durable glass is paramount. Exports to the U.S., despite tariffs, occur via third countries, maintaining some foothold. This product-market fit underscores why Xinyi remains vital to global solar deployment.
Market mood and reactions
Solar industry drivers like falling module costs and policy support propel Xinyi Solar, with global PV additions projected to exceed 500 GW annually soon. Energy transition mandates in the U.S., EU, and China create tailwinds, as glass demand scales linearly with installations. You gain indirect exposure to these megatrends through Xinyi’s market share.
Competitively, Xinyi ranks among the top three global solar glass producers, with cost leadership from massive scale and energy-efficient kilns. Rivals like Taiwan Glass and Flat Glass lag in PV specialization, giving Xinyi pricing power. This moat sustains margins even in oversupply phases.
Supply chain localization trends challenge but also opportunity, as Western manufacturers seek diversified glass sources. Xinyi’s quality certifications ease entry into premium segments. For your portfolio, this competitive edge means resilience against commoditization.
Technological shifts toward larger modules favor Xinyi’s jumbo glass capabilities, widening its lead. Industry consolidation benefits incumbents like Xinyi, weeding out smaller players. Watch how these drivers interplay with pricing cycles affecting profitability.
For you in the United States, Xinyi Solar offers a leveraged play on the Inflation Reduction Act’s solar incentives, which mandate massive domestic capacity additions. Though not U.S.-based, its glass feeds into global supply chains reaching American projects via module imports. This connects directly to your interest in clean energy growth funded by IRA tax credits.
Across English-speaking markets like the UK, Australia, and Canada, similar renewable policies amplify demand, with auctions favoring solar hybrids. Xinyi’s exports support these buildouts, providing currency-hedged exposure to HKD-listed assets. You diversify geographically while betting on universal energy shifts.
U.S. investors face IRA domestic content bonuses, pressuring glass localization, yet Xinyi adapts through partnerships and tech transfers. Its dividend yield attracts income seekers amid volatile U.S. renewables. This relevance grows as U.S. solar hits 20% of new capacity yearly.
English-speaking markets worldwide share tariff risks but benefit from Xinyi’s scale efficiencies lowering global panel costs. You access this via ADRs or direct HKEX trading, fitting diversified portfolios. The company’s stability complements riskier U.S. pure-plays like First Solar.
Reputable analysts from banks like JPMorgan and Credit Suisse have historically viewed Xinyi Solar favorably for its market leadership and capacity expansions, often citing robust demand outlooks despite cyclical pressures. Recent coverage emphasizes the company’s ability to navigate oversupply through cost controls and premium product mixes, with consensus leaning toward hold or accumulate ratings amid valuation debates. These assessments factor in global solar growth projections, balancing near-term margin squeezes against long-term upside.
You’ll find analysts highlighting Xinyi’s dividend policy as a key attraction for yield-focused investors, with payout ratios sustained even in downcycles. Coverage from Macquarie and others notes competitive positioning but cautions on policy risks like U.S. tariffs. Overall, the analyst community sees Xinyi as a core holding for solar exposure, with targets implying moderate upside from current levels.
Key risks for Xinyi Solar include PV module price crashes from Chinese overcapacity, compressing glass ASPs and margins as seen in past cycles. Trade barriers, especially U.S. Section 301 tariffs on solar imports, could reroute supplies and hit volumes. You must weigh if diversification mitigates this exposure.
Energy costs in China, tied to coal prices, pressure production economics, while raw material fluctuations add volatility. Geopolitical tensions might disrupt exports, prompting capacity underutilization. Open questions center on how quickly Western localization reduces reliance on Asian glass.
Execution risks involve tech upgrades for next-gen modules like TOPCon and HJT, where glass specs evolve rapidly. Environmental regulations tightening on emissions challenge high-energy glassmaking. For you, these risks underscore the need for monitoring industry inventories and policy shifts.
Competition intensifies if rivals invest aggressively, eroding Xinyi’s moat. Debt levels from expansions bear watching, though cash flows support deleveraging. Ultimately, resolution of these questions determines if Xinyi sustains its leadership.
Read more
More developments, headlines, and context on the stock can be explored quickly through the linked overview pages.
Track global PV installation forecasts from IRENA or BloombergNEF, as they signal glass demand trajectories. Upcoming earnings will reveal order backlogs and margin trends, guiding near-term moves. You should monitor U.S. Commerce Department tariff reviews impacting solar imports.
Capacity utilization rates indicate if oversupply eases, potentially sparking recovery. Advances in panel tech like perovskite tandems pose both threats and opportunities for glass innovation. Policy updates in China’s 14th Five-Year Plan could boost domestic solar.
For your decisions, dividend announcements and buyback activity reflect management confidence. Peer performances from module makers offer sentiment cues. Long-term, net-zero progress globally validates Xinyi’s thesis.
In summary, while no buy recommendation here, Xinyi Solar merits watchlist status for solar bulls balancing growth and risks. Stay informed on supply dynamics to time entries effectively.
Disclaimer: Not investment advice. Stocks are volatile financial instruments.
By Courtney Parker*
HAVANA TIMES – China has the rare minerals; they have the manufacturing infrastructure and large-scale production; and they have the motivation in these turbulent times to further blur the existing lines between ‘humanitarian missions’ and ‘geopolitical leverage seeking’ by offering help during Cuba’s harrowing energy crisis.
China is currently positioning itself as a non-military ‘helper’ in addressing Cuba’s urgent energy crisis.They are taking a multi-pronged approach in bridging Cuba to a solar-powered future.
While limited individual units are being distributed to favored parties, there is also a larger plan unfolding to centralize solar power via larger-scale solar farms to harness this significant island resource.
However, it is possible that only limited individual or business setups will ever be distributed to individual homes, institutions, or entrepreneurs. So, are these just insular powerbroker moves? Is this a concrete step toward sustainability – or just a temporary bandaid?
The Cuban power grid is, suffice it to say, not in spectacular shape so the ultimate task of ‘addressing Cuba’s power crisis’ is challenging to say the least. It remains to be seen how much China will follow through with the necessary ongoing development(s) for truly sustaining solar power endeavors and transitions.
The larger-scale grid efforts could also pose issues of further concentration of power – literally – within the authoritarian grip that the Cuban government maintains over its people. There have already been reports of questionable labor practices involved in Cuban solar development, as detailed in this report last year from the Havana Times.
Solar power is not a unilateral industry, and a schism is arising between collective solar farms and individual home or business set-ups which can – if installed properly – feed ‘extra’ power back into the grid.
A home or individual business unit is fairly simple to install – if somewhat expensive to start up. More attention has been paid recently to the recycling and repurposing of used panels, not in the least because disposal of them is posing a significant problem long term.
Most home or private business installations are designed to function for about 25 years, but they are often traded in or outright discarded after 7 to 8 years – and this is causing both new waste management issues and alternatively, new recycling and repurposing opportunities for vulnerable communities that otherwise have no access to panels.
Home panels work by collecting sunlight which is then absorbed and transmitted as a ‘Direct Current’ (‘DC current’). After this, a ‘Converter’ switches the stream of power from the panels to the ‘Alternating Current’ (‘AC current’) that runs appliances and lights, etc.
With these sorts of set-ups, homes and businesses also have the option of using excess power to charge personal / individual batteries which can then bridge power supplies to their host units – whether households, institutions, or places of business – during times of mass crises or natural disasters (both of which Cuba and much of the Caribbean are unfortunately prone to).
Despite these selected (and likely selective) private installations, China is also planning the much more comprehensive mass solar project designed to feed directly into the Cuban power grid – to be distributed and marketed as the notoriously insular government sees fit (and only as the grid can currently, or in the future, withstand it in terms of foundational infrastructure).
This cost-risk analysis of centralized solar in more authoritarian nations, versus balanced support for individual set-ups which allow more personal freedom and control, is in no way happening in a vacuum. The tension between the two conflicting yet optionally coordinating paradigms is likewise emerging in the United States.
Home installations are big business (depending on who you ask) in the US at this time, with many startups and established companies excitedly expanding their reach. Noted ‘industry speak’ is leaning toward explicitly positioning the home installation companies as against – or as an alternative to – ‘Big Power’. They promote their home installations with this dichotomy in mind – putting ‘power’ into the hands of individuals and the private sector, while maintaining cooperation with and access to the larger grid.
These private installation companies – provided the location is connected to the larger power grid – also install ‘Bi-Directional Meters’ to replace standard electrical meters. ‘Bi-Directional Meters’ are capable of tracking electricity flowing both into and out of a home or business, and extra solar power collected can ostensibly be ‘sold’ back to the grid in some regions. How this might work in collective economies / nations like Cuba – and in anywhere in general, long term – remains to be seen.
Inserting geopolitical and human rights concerns into an already simmering schism makes this a game of chess rather than checkers for industry leaders, allied nations, and even individuals as all parties make reasoned choices for their communities, countries, homes, families, and businesses.
These interests can also shift at random depending on circumstances and context so making an effort to navigate the microcosm and macrocosm of ‘new solar’ can be a moving target for stakeholders.
As the global solar industry reckons with the positives and negatives related to centralized solar farms and individual installations, questions will continue emerging.
Some governments may prefer the idea of building sustainable solar farms to serve customers clean and (hopefully) cheaper energy through centralized grids, yet in the US economy which is based more on market competition, it would seem that private industry is pushing back with at least more semi-autonomous options.
It has been a long time since solar panels were merely for completely off-the-grid living and those seeking simple lifestyles or living in marginalized areas. Yet fully autonomous set-ups – to be used completely off a central power grid – deserve a newer and closer look as well in targeted areas as far as individual and population level needs and environmental fit.
Many citizens throughout the world are, and by any measure will remain, concerned about central power outages, outdated grids, and directed cyber-attacks – and this extends to concerns over price hikes in the name of sustainability which might ultimately deprive individual households of the benefit of the promised savings of ‘going solar’ in the long term.
And it seems a measure of general skepticism is always present regarding ‘promises’ that consumers will be able to ‘sell’ their extra solar-generated power back to the grid through the ‘Bi-Directional Meters’ on individual units even in the US – and yet how would this work in a communist nation? Could a ‘solar tax’ evolve in adaptable or high-producing areas? And at what real cost?
It should be noted that most individual installations include ‘Electrical Disconnects’ which can switch off the entire private system at any time if some malfunction occurs with the larger grid or otherwise, offering more protection from national or localized crises.
Solar panels are now even being marketed and sold individually for smaller scale adaptations such as water pumps. Access to these could be life-changers in subsistence economies.
The degrees of autonomy with which individual homeowners, landowners, or businesses can access autonomous energy sources needs further evaluation in relation to how each individual government might handle the ‘power’ that harnessing the sun’s natural energy brings.
It remains to be seen how thoroughly China will follow through in ways that bring true sustainability in terms of ‘powering’ the lives and livelihoods of the peoples living in the ongoing crises there.
The most recent energy and grid crisis in Cuba emerged due to the compounded effects of environmental and political forces; and the response dynamics are playing out now as technology, business, and geopolitical worlds collide in the wake.
What should a solar powered Cuba look like?
Starting from the last question, a recurring option gaining traction now for humanitarian development efforts is the reusing and refurbishing of individual solar panels (from homes / businesses or large scale solar farms) which can make the entire industry more cost-effective and also part of a ‘circular-economy’ of renewable energy – which can potentially help indigent communities and countries develop and maintain ‘energy sovereignty’ and reduce dependence on the current volatile nature of oil.
Due diligence might warn that this ‘trickle down’ theory could also create two – or more – ‘solar classes’. Critiques might be along the same lines as arguments for ‘net neutrality’ – in terms of equal access and special access – which is still an issue as the internet settles more and more into vague digital caste systems supported by AI-powered algorithms as a new status quo which defines each unique digital experience.
Digressions aside, perhaps one of the most important aspects of private solar units in many contexts is simply how they provide the opportunity to store power in private batteries, which both helps avoid the pollution emitted by diesel generators used when attempting to bridge rolling – or extended – black-outs or brown-outs, and they provide the option of disconnecting from a disrupted or corrupted grid in general and maintaining self-sustaining energy in emergencies – a control switch to disconnect the private set-up from the grid in times of crises would also be advantageous in this regard. It has been previously reported – here in the Havana Times – that even Cuba’s central solar aspirations are missing out to some degree on the key advantage of maximizing the benefits of battery storage.
As far as the circular system of use and re-use, some older panels may still contain materials which can pose problems after their usefulness has expired.
One group of scientists have come up with a statistical equation to determine the ‘net usefulness’ of a solar panel by plugging in different and easily measurable variables from an individual panel.
Yet the question always remains, where will the waste products go? As the island nation of Puerto Rico has learned, it has to go somewhere – as there is no ‘away’.
Cuba has been relaxing some of its restrictions on independent businesses of late but the nation shows no signs of releasing its grip on oppressive power – unless the recent release of over 2,000 prisoners, few being of the 1,200+ political prisoners, is any indication of a commitment to new standards.
Notably also of concern in this emerging dynamic is the country of Nicaragua – a country that has been heavy in the news lately for holding and ‘disappearing’ targeted political leaders and other ‘opposition’ figures.
Would the Ortega government allow such types of free enterprise as private or semi-private solar installations en masse – which may be seen as a threat to their concentration of power? These advancements could indeed increase myriad measures of public health, potentially even becoming a measure of success in their heavy-handed, ‘quasi-communist’, state regime, while also increasing Nicaragua’s overall GDP.
Because of course, Nicaragua has been quietly coordinating Chinese-backed solar expansion as well.
Do these coordinated projects – an explicit collectivist geopolitical declaration – have the potential to displace independent solar endeavors and shift independent or entrepreneurial projects into marginalization or effectively make them enemies of, or inconveniences to, the Nicaraguan state?
In simpler terms…will there be an economic, ‘clean energy’ proxy war, in Nicaragua or elsewhere in the Americas, as conditions are shifting swiftly on all fronts?
One thing is for certain…
The geopolitical politics of solar power have arrived
While the tension between private installations and solar-powered grids in the US – based on the balance of public and private interest – may embody more potential to maintain a healthy competition with cooperative interests…what happens in countries where there is no strong free enterprise to compete with such power monopolies?
Avoiding reductionism in the expansion of green technologies is always necessary as themes of environmentalism and environmental justice continue to spar in theory and in action.
In a balanced economy, there should be room for both public and private emerging solar infrastructure with open lines of proper and informed coordination between solar ‘sectors’, while maintaining equal degrees of personal access and opportunity… both regarding access to the central grid and the ability to harness solar in disconnected, independent units.
In areas of political unrest, crisis, and ‘humanitarian aid’ with invisible strings attached, solar power systems should be approached carefully as they have great potential to create more robust economies and public health advances. However, they also have the potential to disrupt or calcify larger agendas, cause a temporary ‘shock’ in access to services, or perpetuate imbalances of ‘power’, in every sense of the word.
And the questions continue:
China has among the largest solar farms in the world currently, as one would expect – although the Bhadla Solar Park in India is also among the elite models as far as output.
These massive developments often rely on clearcutting and flattening geographical features for their foundations, having a significant impact on biodiversity.
At least one endangered species has been linked to a solar farm in the Mojave Desert in the United States – the desert tortoise.
Particularly notable to island nations is the manner in which large-scale panel installations concentrate heat – and even pull it from the environment surrounding them. This process creates what are sometimes called ‘heat islands’ and they can be a destabilizing force to both local weather conditions and the general ecology of the region.
All clearcutting makes land subject to erosion and the disruption of homeostasis. So far Cuba has maintained an astounding amount of biodiversity and undeveloped land on the island. It would be a shame to lose that particular legacy chasing a mere geopolitical mirage of sustainable development and clean energy partnerships.
These particular issues and more lead to other options to consider – one being explored is a construct called, ‘Agrivoltaics’. This approach combines customized agricultural models with solar set-ups that produce value and offset some of the negative effects, creating a closed system model where collected solar energy enhances food production and land use.
Key aspects that Agrivoltaics can offer to the general sustainability equation are:
As far as human labor, there are some issues with the mass production of solar panels. Given that the world’s solar supply chain is China-centric – with some 45% of the planet’s polysilicon needed for panels produced in the Xinjiang region of China – it is duly noted that there have been reports detailing forced labor and other human rights abuses in these production facilities which include accusations of forced labor by the state.
In terms of a market economy then, exactly what all is being exported? Is it genuine commerce or is it product sans (sustainable) labor? The answer is probably both. However, the global supply chain relies on basic guidelines and creating an unfair advantage through inhumane labor systems must not be unilaterally rewarded.
In closing, marginalized communities have the potential to remain (or be further) marginalized by solar developments as well as through a strictly central grid. And Indigenous territories where inhabitants have preserved ecosystems with fragile land rights are now being eyed as lucrative regions to construct the mass installations that will inevitably power more prosperous regions.
In cases of land appropriations for solar farms:
Although this article has taken a hawkeye view on crucial current issues and challenges, that is not to imply that shifts towards clean energy should be immediately dismissed nor promptly critically dissected, especially purely on geopolitical terms.
Cuba is absolutely experiencing an unsustainable crisis that must be addressed as an emergency in the short-term while also building and guarding sustainability in the long term.
And, it looks like China may have a plan to support that.
——–
*Courtney Parker, MNPO, PhD is a HT guest author.
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Sheep walk under solar panels Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, at a farm in Lancaster, Ky.
Farmers in the U.S. operate on the thinnest of margins, and some have looked to renewable energy as a way to cut costs on electricity. But that has gotten a lot harder since Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Within the first year of Trump’s return, two federal programs critical to the growth of solar energy production have been rolled back. Those programs are the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program and the clean energy tax credit. The Associated Press and Grist analyzed data on both commercial-scale solar projects and small-scale rural energy development. The news organizations found that the USDA hasn’t awarded a single dollar in rural energy grants or loan guarantees since September.
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“Look through your lease and see what it says for your options.”
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A Redditor in Massachusetts shared the complicated tale of a solar lease gone wrong, and they turned to the online community for help.
They detailed how their brother “conned” their parents into signing a less-than-ideal solar agreement without reading the fine print. Their now-widowed mother hoped to get out of the 2015 solar panel deal, which had been taken over by Tesla.
The family wanted to install a new roof and no longer saw the value in their solar lease, but the installer made a buyout difficult. To make matters worse, Tesla removed the panels so the homeowners could complete repairs, and technicians told the user’s mother that the system hadn’t been working for nearly a year.
The panels had been off the home for months, but Tesla still charged the family despite promising that they wouldn’t be billed.
Solar panels are becoming increasingly popular across the U.S. for their cost-saving potential and clean energy benefits, but homeowners should understand what to expect before making the investment.
If you want to switch your home to solar power but avoid a frustrating and costly scenario like this, EnergySage can help. Using its free tools, you can connect with vetted technicians and save up to $10,000 on installation costs.
“We’ve offered to buy out the remainder of the lease but they keep … saying we can only buy the panels and not the last 10 years of the lease,” the OP wrote.
One commenter, who also had Tesla solar panels, suggested looking more closely at the contract.
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“Look through your lease and see what it says for your options,” they wrote. “They may also have obligations to reinstall the panels in a timely manner that can allow you to break your lease.”
“Tesla has the cheapest installation cost but drops the ball on customer service,” another added.
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While the OP may need to do some digging to figure out the best path forward, solar panels are a tried-and-true way to curb rising energy costs. The technology can help to reduce reliance on the polluting energy grid and its fluctuating energy rates.
EnergySage offers free tools to help homeowners save up to $10,000 on installations by curating competitive bids from local installers.
Yet many can’t afford to buy panels outright, even with the most competitive bids. If this is the situation you’re in, consider Palmetto’s $0-down LightReach solar leasing program, which can lower your utility rate by up to 20%.
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“This is about making smart, responsible investments on behalf of our customers,” said Brad Baldridge, interim president, Xcel Energy – Texas, New Mexico. “These projects reflect how we plan for the long term, to balance energy resources and deliver reliable service while implementing cost-effective solutions for our customers.”
Solar generation does not require fuel, avoiding the cost of natural gas or other fuels that can rise or fall with market conditions. Battery energy storage systems (BESS) build on that benefit by storing electricity when it is less expensive to produce and deliver it during periods of higher demand. Together, solar and battery storage help support electric reliability, including during peak demand or when renewable generation is limited.
Plant X Solar replaces the former natural gas-fueled Units 1 and 2 at Plant X. It includes 150 megawatts of solar generation and spans approximately 1,200 acres east of the existing Plant X location. The facility connects to the grid through the existing substation via a 115-kilovolt transmission line. In addition, Xcel Energy is currently seeking to add a 150-megawatt surplus battery energy storage system at Plant X. If approved by regulators, the BESS would be operational in 2027.
Cunningham 1 Solar consists of a 72-megawatt solar facility paired with a 36-megawatt surplus BESS and connects through the existing Cunningham thermal interconnection. A second project, Cunningham 2 Solar, will generate 196 megawatts of solar power and is scheduled to come online in April 2027, replacing the gas-fueled Unit 2. When complete, the entire solar development at Cunningham will cover approximately 6,500 acres.
Solar generation facilities at both Plant X and Cunningham Generating Station entered service on April 1.
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BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Ahead of talks among some 50 countries about moving away from polluting fuels like oil and gas, Colombia’s environment minister is arguing that the war in Iran underscores the need for a fast transition to clean energies like solar, wind and geothermal.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Irene Vélez Torres said on Thursday instability in global energy markets underscores the need to speed up the shift from oil, gas and coal.
“The war in the Middle East has triggered a global crisis,” she said, adding that such turmoil should accelerate — rather than delay — efforts to transition to cleaner energy. “In this case, I believe the movement should be toward radicalizing the green agenda and the transitions.”
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The comments come ahead of a major international summit on fossil fuels, jointly hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands, to be held April 24–29 in the Caribbean city of Santa Marta, where countries are expected to discuss how to move beyond fossil fuels — a topic that has long proven difficult in formal international negotiations.
When burned, fossil fuels like gas, oil and coal release carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, which go up into the atmosphere and heat the planet. As temperatures rise, extreme weather events like floods, heat waves and droughts intensify.
Acting Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia Irene Velez Torres attends the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), in Belem, Brazil, November 21, 2025. Photo by Anderson Coelho/Reuters.
Vélez said the meeting would serve as a “political space” to open debate on fossil fuel phaseout — a topic that has long proven difficult in formal international negotiations — rather than a forum for binding agreements.
“We are not going to demand that countries make commitments,” she said.
Three decades of U.N. climate negotiations, known as Conference of the Parties, have not managed to bring widespread agreement on moving away from oil, gas and coal. That lack of agreement — critics of the process call it a failure — in part led to the conference in Colombia.
Colombia, one of Latin America’s top oil producers and home to roughly 6% of the Amazon rainforest, depends on crude exports for a significant share of government revenue and foreign income. Oil and coal remain central to the country’s economy, helping fund public spending and social programs.
At the same time, the country sits at the heart of one of the world’s most critical ecosystems for regulating the global climate. Large parts of Colombia’s Amazon have faced pressure from deforestation, illegal mining and armed groups, even as the government has sought to position itself as a leader on climate action.
Under President Gustavo Petro, Colombia has pledged to halt new oil exploration and has called for a global phaseout of fossil fuels, putting it at the forefront of a push by some countries to shift climate diplomacy toward tackling fossil fuel production directly. Vélez said Colombia has increased renewable energy sources such as solar and wind — excluding large hydropower — from about 1% to 16% of its electricity mix under the current administration.
The meeting comes at a time of heightened geopolitical instability, including conflict involving Iran that has disrupted global energy markets and raised concerns over supply through the Strait of Hormuz — a critical shipping route for roughly a fifth of the world’s oil.
Such tensions have pushed oil prices higher and increased pressure on governments to secure energy supplies, with some countries weighing expanded fossil fuel production in the short term even as they commit to long-term climate goals.
The United States, under President Donald Trump, has stepped back from international climate efforts and focused on expanding oil production. Trump has repeatedly dismissed climate change as a hoax and criticized the energy transition, referring to it as a “Green New Scam.”
The contrast is particularly stark. While Colombia under President Petro has pledged to halt new oil exploration contracts as part of its energy transition, Trump has emphasized expanding production, promoting increased drilling with the slogan “drill, baby, drill.”
Tensions between Colombia and the United States have also surfaced in recent months, with Petro and Trump publicly clashing over trade and counternarcotics policy, underscoring broader differences over climate and energy priorities.
Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s largest oil exporters, will not attend. Vélez said the government has engaged with Saudi officials in past U.N. climate talks, but that the country has “very clear oil interests” and is not currently interested in phasing out fossil fuels. Saudi Arabia has often resisted efforts in U.N. climate talks to include stronger language on phasing out fossil fuels, underscoring divisions between major producers and countries pushing for a faster transition.
The Santa Marta meeting will take place outside the formal U.N. climate talks, but its conclusions are expected to inform upcoming negotiations, said Vélez, including COP31 in Turkey later this year.
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Left: Solar panels are seen in the Electricity, Electronics and Telecommunications Center, South Complex of the Capital District Regional in Bogota, Colombia April 24, 2024. Photo by Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters.
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Intertek Group plc (Intertek), provider of Total Quality Assurance services worldwide, acquired the assets of a state-of-the-art solar PV laboratory in Ahmedabad from Mitsui Chemicals India. This strategic move strengthens Intertek’s footprint in India’s fast-growing renewable energy sector.
Rising Demand for Solar Quality Assurance in India
As India accelerates its clean energy transition, the demand for reliable and independent quality assurance services is increasing rapidly. The government has set an ambitious target of achieving 500 GW of non-fossil fuel power capacity by 2030, including 280 GW from solar energy. Against this backdrop, Intertek’s latest acquisition positions the company to support the expanding solar ecosystem with advanced testing and certification services.
Advanced Testing Services with Global Accreditations
The newly acquired solar PV laboratory will offer comprehensive testing services for solar installations, materials, and components. Notably, the facility is accredited under ISO 17025 standards and provides certifications aligned with BIS and the IECEE CB Scheme. As a result, the lab will enable Indian solar manufacturers to enhance product quality while helping international companies gain faster and more reliable access to global markets through harmonised testing protocols.
Strengthening Industry Support and Market Access
Furthermore, the facility will play a critical role in improving efficiency across the solar value chain. By offering accurate and standardised testing, it will reduce time-to-market and support compliance with global quality benchmarks. The development is particularly significant for companies aiming to scale operations in India or expand their presence in international markets.
Strategic Expansion in Renewable Energy Assurance
Intertek highlighted that the acquisition complements its risk-based Quality Assurance solutions for the solar PV sector. In addition, it reinforces the company’s leadership in renewable energy assurance while expanding its presence in western India.
The new lab also builds on the capabilities of Intertek CEA, which offers end-to-end solutions for the solar industry. These include advanced services such as aerial drone inspections and solar plant performance assessments for manufacturers, developers, and other stakeholders.
Driving India’s Solar Growth
As reported by pv-magazine-india.com, the acquisition underscores Intertek’s commitment to supporting India’s renewable energy ambitions. By enhancing testing infrastructure and quality assurance capabilities, the company is well-positioned to contribute to the country’s rapidly evolving solar energy landscape.
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"Industrial scale" solar farms planned by foreign-owned firms have been attacked by the leader of the Green Party on a county council.
Catherine Rowett, from Norfolk County Council, said overseas investors were aiming to make huge profits and called for solar projects to be locally owned.
Some of the UK's largest solar sites are planned for Norfolk, including the East Pye development – which would cover the equivalent of about 1,500 football pitches.
Island Green Power (IGP), which is behind the East Pye project in South Norfolk, said that the scheme would help meet the UK government's "need for secure affordable and low carbon energy" .
Rowett has been speaking to BBC Norfolk as part of a series of interviews with local party leaders ahead of next month's local elections.
With 84 seats up for grabs, the Greens currently have four councillors.
While the party is traditionally in favour of renewables, she said she was opposed to "industrial scale energy infrastructure schemes" such as the East Pye development at a series of sites in and around Long Stratton, which covers 2,700 acres (1,090 hectares).
IGP is owned by the Australian firm Macquarie Asset Management.
"The basic thing is that these shocking schemes are [proposed by] foreign investors looking to make a profit out of our ridiculous energy prices," said Rowett.
"It's a huge profit margin for those who can get some renewable energy from our sunshine and take the profits offshore."
She said countryside solar schemes should be smaller and locally operated, and called for a stronger drive for solar panels to be installed on rooftops of public and private buildings instead.
East Pye has faced strong opposition from politicians in the other main parties on the council including the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Reform UK.
An IGP spokesperson said the company was a UK taxpayer and pointed to the extensive work that has already gone into a Development Consent Order application.
They added that a "thorough and transparent" process would allow all interested parties to make their views known.
"If consented, the scheme would make a long term contribution to clean and secure energy generation, while mitigating any impacts and responding sensitively to its local environment," the spokesperson said.
The Greens have had a strong base of support in Norwich for two decades, Rowett won her West Depwade county council seat three years ago, and at the 2024 general election Adrian Ramsay won the new Waveney Valley constituency.
Rowett said she hoped the party would win more council seats outside the city with its policies including free bus travel for under-25s, reducing speed limits on single-track rural roads and increasing investment in children's centres for young families.
"I think both in the city and in rural areas, there's a good feeling in the polls," she explained.
A full list of the candidates in the Norfolk County Council election can be found here.
BBC Radio Norfolk will be speaking to the other council group leaders over the next week.
Do you have a story suggestion for Norfolk? Contact us below.
Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Major setback for plan for large solar farm
Solar 'part of food security solution' – developer
MP warns against 'carpeting' area with solar farms
Council attempts to guide mega solar farm plans
Norfolk County Council
East Pye Solar
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The teams will have the opportunity to attend a planned papal audience with Pope Leo XIV, who is notably a Villanova alumnus.
Consultant recommends denial as commission considers unpopular solar project near Jonesville MLive.com
source
"Industrial scale" solar farms planned by foreign-owned firms have been attacked by the leader of the Green Party on a county council.
Catherine Rowett, from Norfolk County Council, said overseas investors were aiming to make huge profits and called for solar projects to be locally owned.
Some of the UK's largest solar sites are planned for Norfolk, including the East Pye development – which would cover the equivalent of about 1,500 football pitches.
Island Green Power (IGP), which is behind the East Pye project in South Norfolk, said that the scheme would help meet the UK government's "need for secure affordable and low carbon energy" .
Rowett has been speaking to BBC Norfolk as part of a series of interviews with local party leaders ahead of next month's local elections.
With 84 seats up for grabs, the Greens currently have four councillors.
While the party is traditionally in favour of renewables, she said she was opposed to "industrial scale energy infrastructure schemes" such as the East Pye development at a series of sites in and around Long Stratton, which covers 2,700 acres (1,090 hectares).
IGP is owned by the Australian firm Macquarie Asset Management.
"The basic thing is that these shocking schemes are [proposed by] foreign investors looking to make a profit out of our ridiculous energy prices," said Rowett.
"It's a huge profit margin for those who can get some renewable energy from our sunshine and take the profits offshore."
She said countryside solar schemes should be smaller and locally operated, and called for a stronger drive for solar panels to be installed on rooftops of public and private buildings instead.
East Pye has faced strong opposition from politicians in the other main parties on the council including the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Reform UK.
An IGP spokesperson said the company was a UK taxpayer and pointed to the extensive work that has already gone into a Development Consent Order application.
They added that a "thorough and transparent" process would allow all interested parties to make their views known.
"If consented, the scheme would make a long term contribution to clean and secure energy generation, while mitigating any impacts and responding sensitively to its local environment," the spokesperson said.
The Greens have had a strong base of support in Norwich for two decades, Rowett won her West Depwade county council seat three years ago, and at the 2024 general election Adrian Ramsay won the new Waveney Valley constituency.
Rowett said she hoped the party would win more council seats outside the city with its policies including free bus travel for under-25s, reducing speed limits on single-track rural roads and increasing investment in children's centres for young families.
"I think both in the city and in rural areas, there's a good feeling in the polls," she explained.
A full list of the candidates in the Norfolk County Council election can be found here.
BBC Radio Norfolk will be speaking to the other council group leaders over the next week.
Do you have a story suggestion for Norfolk? Contact us below.
Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Three candidates for Newcastle City Council have been accused of "horrendous" social media comments.
Residents of a travellers site say they would be impacted by noise from a planned energy storage site.
We have analysed some of the policies in the Scottish Lib Dems' manifesto for the 2026 Holyrood election.
The large fire means people cannot drop off electricals at tips in Norfolk until further notice.
Moses Fernandes pleads guilty to manslaughter but will go on trial for the murder of Terry McFadyen.
Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.
Clean the Sky – Regional Wind Energy Systems Trend Hunter
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Guide helps agencies identify and correct existing solar PV vulnerabilities in order to avoid or minimize damage from severe weather.
Federal Energy Management Program
Severe weather events can have a significant impact on the survivability of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) and the General Services Administration (GSA) developed a guide to help agencies identify and correct vulnerabilities of existing PV systems that can result in failures if left unaddressed.
The PV System Owner’s Guide to Identifying, Assessing, and Addressing Weather Vulnerabilities, Risks, and Impacts report helps users understand the type and severity of severe weather that can occur at any given location, and provides pre- and post-storm operations and maintenance (O&M) measures that can reduce the potential for damage to a PV system during a severe weather event and help speed the recovery of a PV system damaged during a storm.
There are more than 3,000 solar PV systems installed at federal facilities serving site loads. These systems have proven to be cost-effective, reliable, and safe power sources. In order to ensure a PV system’s optimal performance throughout its service life, system owners must identify and correct latent vulnerabilities that might make a PV system susceptible to weather damage. The guidance represented here has been collected through onsite field audits of existing systems as well as in collaboration with industry experts.
This guide is intended to help federal managers and personnel responsible for PV systems identify and correct commonly known vulnerabilities, with the goals of reducing life-safety risks, improving system performance, and achieving full financial benefits. Each vulnerability and its corresponding description and corrective action is formatted for easy printing (Figure 2). FEMP recommends that users bring the relevant pages of the guide with them during an onsite field audit and use the “Field Audit Instructions” to help identify and confirm the presence of a given vulnerability.
Key sections in the guide include:
While the guide includes 37 vulnerabilities and 27 corrective actions in detail, some of the most commonly observed are shown in the photos below.
Note: While the guide was developed to be as thorough as possible, there is the potential that some vulnerabilities and corrective actions may not be included. Users may discover additional vulnerabilities and corrective actions by following the process outlined in the guide.
The fast-growing solar industry has outpaced the ability for current codes and standards to capture key lessons learned in update cycles. Simply following current codes and standards is not adequate. There are instances where a consulting engineer may be needed to help devise a repair or rebuild project as well as identify existing vulnerabilities of a PV system. Some of these instances include:
All consulting engineers should have the following qualifications:
For more information on hiring a consulting engineer, please see section 3 of the guide.
Download PV System Owner’s Guide to Identifying, Assessing, and Addressing Weather Vulnerabilities, Risks, and Impacts.
Learn more about severe weather considerations for new construction systems in FEMP’s Severe Weather Resilience in Solar Photovoltaic System Design webpage.
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Thunderstorms early, overcast overnight with occasional rain. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low around 50F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%..
Thunderstorms early, overcast overnight with occasional rain. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low around 50F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
Updated: April 17, 2026 @ 10:27 pm
A sheep stands in front of solar panels on a farm Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Lancaster, Ky.
Daniel Bell opens a bag of feed as he prepares to move sheep into a nearby field Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, at a farm in Lancaster, Ky.
Sheep walk under solar panels Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, at a farm in Lancaster, Ky.
Sheep graze near solar panels Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, at a farm in Lancaster, Ky.
Sheep graze at a farm Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Lancaster, Ky.
Signs opposing solar development sit near a road Friday, April 3, 2026, in Manchester, Ind.
Sheep graze near solar panels Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, at a farm in Lancaster, Ky.
Solar panels operate Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, at a farm in Lancaster, Ky.
Daniel Bell drives between solar panels and his sheep flock Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, at a farm in Lancaster, Ky.
A sheep stands in front of solar panels on a farm Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Lancaster, Ky.
Daniel Bell opens a bag of feed as he prepares to move sheep into a nearby field Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, at a farm in Lancaster, Ky.
Sheep walk under solar panels Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, at a farm in Lancaster, Ky.
Sheep graze near solar panels Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, at a farm in Lancaster, Ky.
Sheep graze at a farm Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Lancaster, Ky.
Signs opposing solar development sit near a road Friday, April 3, 2026, in Manchester, Ind.
Sheep graze near solar panels Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, at a farm in Lancaster, Ky.
Solar panels operate Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, at a farm in Lancaster, Ky.
Daniel Bell drives between solar panels and his sheep flock Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, at a farm in Lancaster, Ky.
Over the past few years, Kentucky sheep farmer Daniel Bell has been expanding his flock, and that meant he needed to build a new barn. His land is far from the power lines he’d need to heat it, so he figured rooftop solar would be ideal.
To help pay for it, he wanted to apply for a renewable-energy grant through the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP — only to find that the Trump administration had effectively halted grants through the program. Bell said that made it impossible to proceed with the idea on his land.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is a collaboration between Grist and The Associated Press.
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1. How much solar energy reaches the Earth’s surface at any given moment?
173 terawatts
1.73 terawatts
17,300 terawatts
173,000 terawatts
Solar energy is the most abundant energy source on the planet. Enough sunlight hits the Earth’s surface in 1 1/2 hours to power the entire world’s electricity consumption for a year!
2. Of all new generating capacity added to the U.S. electrical grid in 2015, what percentage was solar?
5.5%
13.6%
29.4%
17.2%
While solar accounts for less than 2% of U.S. electrical generating capacity overall, it is one of the fastest-growing energy markets in the country. With solar power continuing to get more affordable and new installations happening every day, the solar industry is booming. For the first time, more solar generating capacity was added in 2015 than natural gas in the U.S. (Source: FERC)
3. Which U.S. state generates the most utility-scale solar power?
California
Arizona
Texas
Florida
In 2014, California became the first state to generate more than 5 percent of its annual utility-scale electricity from solar power, according to the Energy Information Administration. With several large solar plants phased into operation in 2014, California’s utility-scale (1 megawatt or larger) facilities generated a record 9.9 million megawatthours (MWh) of electricity in 2014, an increase of 6.1 million MWh from 2013 and more than three times the output of the next-highest state, Arizona. In total, nearly 1,900 MW of new utility-scale solar capacity was added, bringing the state’s utility-scale capacity for all solar technologies to 5,400 MW by the end of 2014.
4. What does the word photovoltaic mean?
Sun-powered
Light-cells
Light-electricity
Solar-energy
“Photovoltaic” has two parts: photo, derived from the Greek word for light, and volt, from electricity pioneer Alessandro Volta. And that’s exactly what photovoltaic systems do — turn light into electricity!
5. Who discovered the photovoltaic effect?
American physicist Enrico Fermi
Italian physicist Alessandro Volta
German physicist Heinrich Rudolf Hertz
French physicist Edmond Becquerel
Edmond Becquerel was the first person to realize that sunlight could produce an electric current in a solid material in 1839, but it took more than a century for scientists to fully understand this process and develop a practical solar cell.
6. What are the most common photovoltaic cells used today?
Organic cells
Plastic cells
Polymer cells
Crystalline silicon cells
Unveiled by Bell Labs in 1954, silicon cells were the very first successful photovoltaic (PV) technology, and they remain the most common PV cells in use today.
7. Roughly how much did the cost of PV solar panels decrease between 2008 and 2015?
40%
80%
20%
60%
Thanks in part to research funded by the Energy Department’s SunShot Initiative, photovoltaic solar panels have gotten dramatically cheaper over the past decade. SunShot was created with the aim of making solar power cost-competitive with fossil fuels by 2020, and it has made significant strides toward that goal by supporting the development of more efficient solar cells and cost-effective manufacturing processes.
8. Which of these is NOT considered a “soft cost” of solar power?
Connection fees
Labor
Permits
Solar panels
Today, soft costs — that is, all the costs and fees aside from the solar hardware itself — account for more than half of the price of installing a solar energy system. By taking steps to help reduce soft costs, the Department of Energy is working to make affordable solar power a reality for those who want it.
9. What form of energy do concentrating solar power technologies use to generate electricity?
Static
Chemical
Thermal
Magnetic
Concentrating solar power technologies use mirrors to reflect and concentrate sunlight onto receivers that collect solar energy and convert it to heat. This thermal energy can then be used to produce electricity via a steam turbine or heat engine that drives a generator.
10. Which of the following is NOT a technology used in concentrating solar power?
Power tower
Linear fresnel
Cathode ray tube
Parabolic trough
Parabolic trough, linear fresnel and power tower are all types of concentrating solar power systems. They may look very different, but they operate on the same principle, focusing the sun’s rays on a central receiver.
11. About how many mirrors are used at Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, the largest concentrating solar power facility in the U.S.?
350,000
3500
350
35,000
Spanning 3,500 acres of Southern California desert, Ivanpah’s 173,500 “heliostats” (each made up of two mirrors) focus the sun’s rays on three 459-foot-tall, heat-collecting “power towers.” Water circulated through these towers turns to steam, driving turbines that can generate up to 377 megawatts of electricity — enough to power 140,000 homes in California!
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A sheep stands in front of solar panels on a farm Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Lancaster, Ky.
Daniel Bell opens a bag of feed as he prepares to move sheep into a nearby field Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, at a farm in Lancaster, Ky.
Sheep walk under solar panels Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, at a farm in Lancaster, Ky.
Sheep graze near solar panels Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, at a farm in Lancaster, Ky.
Sheep graze at a farm Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Lancaster, Ky.
Signs opposing solar development sit near a road Friday, April 3, 2026, in Manchester, Ind.
Sheep graze near solar panels Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, at a farm in Lancaster, Ky.
Solar panels operate Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, at a farm in Lancaster, Ky.
Daniel Bell drives between solar panels and his sheep flock Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, at a farm in Lancaster, Ky.
A sheep stands in front of solar panels on a farm Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Lancaster, Ky.
Daniel Bell opens a bag of feed as he prepares to move sheep into a nearby field Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, at a farm in Lancaster, Ky.
Sheep walk under solar panels Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, at a farm in Lancaster, Ky.
Sheep graze near solar panels Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, at a farm in Lancaster, Ky.
Sheep graze at a farm Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Lancaster, Ky.
Signs opposing solar development sit near a road Friday, April 3, 2026, in Manchester, Ind.
Sheep graze near solar panels Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, at a farm in Lancaster, Ky.
Solar panels operate Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, at a farm in Lancaster, Ky.
Daniel Bell drives between solar panels and his sheep flock Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, at a farm in Lancaster, Ky.
Over the past few years, Kentucky sheep farmer Daniel Bell has been expanding his flock, and that meant he needed to build a new barn. His land is far from the power lines he would need to heat it, so he figured rooftop solar would be ideal.
To help pay for it, he wanted to apply for a renewable-energy grant through the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP — only to find that the Trump administration had effectively halted grants through the program. Bell said that made it impossible to proceed with the idea on his land.
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Hildisrieden, LU – April 03, 2026 – PRESSADVANTAGE –
Oekoboiler Swiss AG, a Swiss manufacturer specializing in energy-efficient heat pump boilers, continues to expand its sustainable hot water solutions that seamlessly integrate with photovoltaic systems across Switzerland. The company’s advanced systems combine heat pump and solar technology to deliver significant energy savings while reducing CO2 emissions in residential and commercial buildings.
The company’s innovative approach addresses the growing demand for sustainable building technologies as Switzerland moves toward stricter energy-efficiency standards. Oekoboiler’s systems utilize a dual-energy approach that draws approximately 75 percent of the required energy from ambient air and only 25 percent from electricity, resulting in up to an 80 percent reduction in energy consumption compared to traditional water-heating methods.
The company’s heat pump boilers operate independently from central heating systems, making them particularly suitable for both new construction and retrofitting existing buildings. This flexibility has positioned Oekoboiler as a key provider of sustainable hot water solutions throughout Switzerland, where the company plans, installs, and maintains systems tailored to individual building requirements. Learn more here: https://pressadvantage.com/organization/oekoboiler-swiss-ag.
As Switzerland prepares for the implementation of EnEV 2025 energy efficiency standards, Oekoboiler’s technology offers building owners a pathway to compliance while maintaining comfort and reliability. The systems feature smart controls that optimize energy usage based on demand patterns and available solar energy, ensuring maximum efficiency throughout the year.
The integration capabilities extend beyond basic functionality, with WiFi-enabled models allowing remote monitoring and control. This connectivity enables property owners and facility managers to track energy consumption, adjust settings, and receive maintenance alerts, contributing to long-term system efficiency and reliability.
Oekoboiler’s product range includes storage capacities from 150 to 450 liters, accommodating various building sizes and hot water demands. Each system undergoes rigorous testing in Switzerland, ensuring quality and performance standards that meet the country’s stringent building regulations.
The environmental benefits of Oekoboiler’s technology extend beyond energy savings. The heat pump operation naturally dehumidifies basement spaces where units are typically installed, preventing mold formation and eliminating the need for separate dehumidification equipment. This dual functionality adds value for property owners while contributing to healthier indoor environments.
Oekoboiler Swiss AG maintains its commitment to Swiss engineering excellence through continuous product development and comprehensive service support. The company’s focus on quality consultation and customized solutions has established its reputation as a trusted partner for sustainable building projects throughout Switzerland. Additional information about Oekoboiler Swiss AG can be found at https://oekoboiler-swiss-ag.localo.site.
###
For more information about Oekoboiler Swiss AG, contact the company here:
Oekoboiler Swiss AG
R. Heller
+41 41 511 21 77
info@oekoboiler.com
Mülacher 6
6024 Hildisrieden
Switzerland
Information contained on this page is provided by an independent third-party content provider. XPRMedia and this Site make no warranties or representations in connection therewith. If you are affiliated with this page and would like it removed please contact pressreleases@xpr.media
Solar Power World
|
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval joined city leaders to break ground on the 10-MW Center Hill Solar project, which will be developed on the city-owned Center Hill Landfill site in Winton Hills. This transforms a decades-long-dormant brownfield into one of the largest renewable energy investments in the city.
The Center Hill Landfill, pictured in 2004. Credit: Ohio Redevelopment Projects
“We have long been proud to be at the cutting edge of environmental action and innovative investments into climate resilience and the green economy. We are especially proud to have been the leader on municipal solar, with our 100-MW farm in Highland County,” said Mayor Aftab. “It is part of what puts us on the map and what makes me so confident about our future as a city. And just as importantly, it is part of what will protect us from the extreme uncertainty we are seeing, around the nation and world, when it comes to rising energy costs. Now, we are moving even further.”
The project is structured as two 4.9-MW arrays, which together will generate approximately 18.2 million kWh of clean electricity annually. All electricity produced will serve city facilities through the grid, helping stabilize municipal energy costs and protect taxpayers from future rate volatility.
“This project turns yesterday’s landfill into tomorrow’s power plant,” said Ollie Kroner, Director of the City’s Office of Environment & Sustainability. “This is our next big leap to bring the Green Cincinnati Plan to life and take control of our energy future.”
The $24 million project will be developed and maintained by UPower Energy. The development seeks to take advantage of the federal ITC, which can help cover an estimated 50% of project costs.
City leaders say the project advances multiple priorities at once: affordability, resilience, sustainability and neighborhood revitalization. The redevelopment also improves a property that has historically faced illegal dumping and blight, converting it into productive infrastructure that delivers lasting community value.
Located on 64 acres of a capped landfill, dormant for nearly 30 years, the site was identified as the strongest performer in the city’s Brownfields to Brightfields evaluation, offering high energy yield, minimal grading needs, and proximity to existing electrical infrastructure. The development will use a lightweight, low-impact mounting system that reduces material use and speeds installation, while disturbed areas will be reseeded with pollinator-friendly plants near Mill Creek.
Construction will prioritize local electrical contractors and workforce participation, supporting Cincinnati’s growing clean-energy economy. Construction is expected to begin in 2026, with operations anticipated by early 2027.
Cincinnati is no stranger to solar power, signing a 20-year PPA for 100 MW of solar built 40 miles east of the city.
Kelly Pickerel has more than 15 years of experience reporting on the U.S. solar industry and is currently editor in chief of Solar Power World. Email Kelly.
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Norwegian developer Scatec ASA has commissioned the first phase of the 1.1 GW Obelisk solar and battery energy storage system (BESS) project in Egypt, backed by $479.1 million in development finance institution (DFI) debt and a fully contracted storage revenue model.
A PV plant operated by Scatec in Egypt
Image: Scatec ASA
Scatec ASA has brought its largest project to date into operation in Egypt with a capital structure combining multilateral development bank debt, layered equity from a Norwegian climate fund and a French energy company, and a power purchase agreement (PPA) that fully contracts BESS dispatch with no merchant exposure.
The $590 million Obelisk project in Nagaa Hammadi, Upper Egypt, is financed with more than 80% non-recourse debt – $479.1 million – provided by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the African Development Bank (AfDB), and British International Investment (BII).
Norfund, through Norway’s Climate Investment Fund, holds 25% of the Obelisk holding company, with Scatec retaining 75%. EDF Power Solutions holds 20% of the operating company below, leaving Scatec with 60% total economic interest and operational control, Norfund with 20%, and EDF Power Solutions with 20%, a Scatec spokesperson told pv magazine.
“The main difference is equity partners were invited at two levels – SPV and HoldCo,” said the spokesperson. “This reduces Scatec’s equity need while retaining majority control throughout the structure.”
To complement this dual-level approach, the company maintains a consistent framework for how and when external investors are introduced across its portfolio.
Equity partners are brought into all projects, typically before financial close, with non-recourse debt covering the majority of Capex and a baseline 20/80 equity-to-debt split that varies by country and offtake terms, said the Scatec spokesperson.
“The Obelisk project is a good example of how the Climate Investment Fund can help accelerate the transition from fossil to renewable energy in emerging markets through profitable investments,” said Bjørnar Baugerud, head of Norway’s Climate Investment Fund.
The first phase – 561 MW of solar and a 100 MW/200 MWh battery energy storage system – was commissioned in February 2026.
The BESS dispatch is fully contracted under the 25-year, US dollar-denominated PPA with Egyptian Electricity Transmission Co. (EETC), with no merchant or ancillary services exposure, said the Scatec spokesperson. The PPA is backed by a sovereign guarantee. The second phase adds another 564 MW of solar and is targeted for commercial operation in summer 2026.
Scatec reported NOK 11 billion ($1.17 billion) in proportional revenues for 2025, NOK 4.568 billion in EBITDA, a 25% reduction in gross corporate debt, and NOK 5.6 billion in liquidity at year end, according to its full-year 2025 results.
Equinor sold an 8.07% stake in Scatec this week at NOK 125 per share, raising approximately NOK 1.6 billion, and retained a roughly equal remaining stake subject to a 90-day lock-up. Equinor, which built its holding to 16.12% between 2019 and 2023, described the sale as portfolio optimization.
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