Lebanon’s Ministry of Interior and Municipalities, Ministry of Public Works and Transport, and Ministry of Energy and Water have issued new rules for the deployment of PV systems with capacities of up to 1.5 MW.
The government said the interim provisions will remain in force until the country’s regulator introduces final rules, which are currently under development.
Under the new framework, PV systems below 1.5 MW do not require approval from the Ministry of Energy and Water. However, installations must follow a defined municipal administrative and safety procedure.
Municipalities are responsible for verifying compliance with administrative, planning, structural and safety requirements. Structural and electrical or electromechanical engineers must sign off on projects and supervise installation. Upon completion, the engineers must confirm that the systems comply with applicable safety requirements.
Approvals are generally valid for one year, during which installation must be completed.
The government said the new rules are intended to formalize the permitting process for distributed solar installations while strengthening public safety requirements. They also assign responsibilities to engineers involved in PV projects, including oversight of structural and electrical aspects and verification of compliance upon completion.
Lebanon’s cumulative solar capacity reached 1,505 MW at the end of 2025, according to figures published by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), up from 1,081 MW a year earlier.
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The cells exploit the narrow slice of sunlight that survives beneath the sea.
Ten meters (32 ft.) beneath the South China Sea, sunlight has already lost much of what makes it useful on land. Red and infrared wavelengths fade rapidly in water. What remains is a dimmer, bluer world.
Yet off China’s Weizhou Island, researchers lowered a small underwater robot carrying solar modules into that light and left it there for two hours. By the time they brought it back up, the modules had delivered 324 milliwatt-hours of energy into lithium-ion batteries—enough for the researchers to later power an LED panel.
This pushes underwater photovoltaics well beyond the very shallow depths explored in most previous experiments. More importantly, the researchers designed a perovskite solar cell specifically around the peculiar colors of sunlight that survive underwater. Essentially, they made specially designed underwater solar cells.
“This offers a route to continuously power the marine devices, addressing the long-standing bottleneck of short battery endurance for underwater devices,” Wen-Hua Zhang of Yunnan University, the study’s senior author, told ZME Science.
Ordinary solar cells benefit from a broad spectrum of sunlight. But water acts like a secondary optical filter, after it was already filtered by the atmosphere. It absorbs red and infrared light particularly strongly; by depths of around 5 to 10 meters, the available spectrum becomes dominated by blue-green wavelengths between roughly 400 and 600 nanometers.
That means a solar cell designed for the surface wastes much of its potential underwater.
The researchers instead used a wide-band-gap perovskite, with a band gap of about 1.96 electron volts, tuned to respond strongly to the surviving blue-green light. They also added a polymer called PHMG, which helped the perovskite form a more stable crystal structure and reduced defects that can drain electrical performance.
A 2020 analysis in the journal Joule calculated that underwater photovoltaics could remain useful at depths approaching 50 meters in exceptionally clear water, provided researchers use wider-band-gap materials better matched to the altered spectrum. The analysis predicted an optimal band gap of roughly 2.1 electron volts at intermediate depths, which is mighty close to the one used in the practical application documented by the Chinese researchers.
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They’re not alone. In 2024, researchers reported organic solar cells designed for underwater use that exceeded 25.6% efficiency at one meter. Other researchers have recently begun testing perovskites underwater as well.
What’s different this time is that the solar cells have been tested in open water, in contrast to the previous tests in shallow water.
In lab tests designed to mimic sunlight 10 meters underwater, the small solar cells converted 34.71% of the light reaching them into electricity. Under standard sunlight conditions, they converted 17.08%. Larger modules reached 29.4% underwater.
But that does not mean they produced more electricity underwater. Much less sunlight reaches a panel at that depth, so the total power output was still lower. The cells were simply better at using the blue-green light that remained.
Ten meters may only be a first stop.
“On basis of our present work, speculatively, the underwater photovoltaics may offer viable practical operation at depths of 20~30 m,” Zhang said. “The experiments are under way in our group.”
Besides depth, Zhang pointed to marine biofouling, floating debris, and seawater corrosion as additional obstacles that impede the efficiency of underwater solar. Organisms growing over the cells could block light, while saltwater could eventually attack their protective layers.
“Therefore, the practical operational depth is governed by multiple factors, rather than being determined solely by the light intensity,” he noted.
If researchers can solve these issues, Zhang sees solar cells becoming one component of a growing technological landscape beneath the waves.
“Underwater photovoltaics can be widely deployed as one piece of the broader push toward sub-sea infrastructure development,” he said, pointing in particular to autonomous underwater vehicles and other “smart ocean” technologies.
His group now plans to push deeper, test the modules for longer periods in real water, scale them up, and integrate them with autonomous underwater machines. The researchers also want to develop standardized testing protocols that would allow scientists to compare underwater solar technologies on equal terms.
The study was published in the journal Joule.
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Renogy is a well-known solar panel manufacturer that earned a spot on our list of the top rated foldable solar panels you can buy on Amazon. If you’ve been investigating solar or are considering installing it in your home, you may have stumbled across the brand and been curious about where its panels are made, and what its ownership looks like.
Renogy is owned by RNG Group Inc. The company began life as a student project with connections to Louisiana State University and the Louisiana Business and Technology Center, and has since grown into a global renewable-energy company that produces a number of different types of consumer solar panels, as well as batteries and portable power systems.
The company was founded by Dr. Yi Li and is headquartered in Ontario, California. Beyond homeowners looking to reduce their reliance on the grid, Renogy’s main customer base includes RV, boat, and van owners looking for reliable solar power on vacation or living a fully nomadic lifestyle.
Renogy doesn’t say where it manufactures its solar panels on its website. While its HQ is in California, Renogy has manufacturing ties to China, where it owns and operates a factory in Wuxi, Jiangsu. A response from Renogy to a user’s question on Home Depot seems to confirm that its solar panels are made in China.
Bear in mind that the actual provenance of a single solar panel can be complicated, because each is a complex assemblage of components, including photovoltaic cells, aluminum framing, backsheets, and junction boxes, all of which can come from different manufacturers in different countries. China is a major player in solar manufacturing, specifically in wafers and PV cells, so Renogy’s investment there is unsurprising. If you’re considering installing solar on your home, there are a number of key things to consider, and who makes your panels (and where they’re produced) is one of them.
Old solar panels contain valuable silver, copper, silicon, aluminum, and glass. A new Texas solar recycling plant aims to recover nearly all of it without sending partially processed materials overseas.
We Recycle Solar (WRS) says it will open what it describes as the first US end-to-end critical-materials recovery plant dedicated to retired solar panels in Q3 2027.
The 10-acre facility outside Dallas will process one panel per minute and recover up to 96% of its materials, according to the Yuma, Arizona-based company. Those materials will then be cleaned and prepared for sale back into US supply chains.
That last part matters. Conventional solar recycling generally focuses on the aluminum frame and glass, which make up most of a panel’s weight but aren’t its most valuable parts. Recovering smaller amounts of silver, copper, and silicon in a usable form is more complicated and expensive.
Solar panel recycling is already happening in the US, but it typically costs more than sending panels to a landfill. Improving the recovery of high-value materials could close that gap while reducing the need for newly mined materials.
WRS says its proprietary process will recover silver, copper, silicon, aluminum, and glass at commercial scale without requiring downstream smelting at an overseas facility. The resulting materials could be reused in solar equipment, electronics, the grid, and other US industries.
“Solar panels contain the exact critical materials the US supply chain desperately needs, but until now, no American company has been able to recover their full resources at such scale or efficiency,” said Adam Saghei, founder and CEO of We Recycle Solar. “Through our advanced process, we are achieving true, comprehensive material recovery entirely on US soil, and retaining these critical materials – and the value currently being lost to Asian processing – within our domestic supply chain.”
Most US solar panels are nowhere near retirement. The US Department of Energy says about 70% of the world’s solar projects have been installed since 2019, and panels now typically remain in service for 25 to 35 years.
But with hundreds of millions of panels already operating across the US, the volume reaching the end of its useful life will climb sharply over the next several decades. Weather damage, installation problems, and the early replacement of older panels with more efficient models will add to that stream.
WRS says it has already diverted more than 1 million panels from landfills through its existing decommissioning, recycling, resale, and remarketing operations.
The Dallas-area plant is intended to be the first in a larger network. WRS plans to invest around $100 million in four additional US facilities over the next four years, although it hasn’t yet disclosed their locations.
Read more: US solar can now power 50M homes – and red states led the boom
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In a bright, spacious factory on the outskirts of Lagos, young engineers in overalls work their way along the production line, carefully inspecting the shimmery blue solar cells that turn sunlight into electricity.
Quality checks completed, the finished solar panels are loaded onto forklifts and taken to a warehouse – ready for delivery to buyers across Nigeria and in neighbouring West African countries. Each panel is labelled “Made in Nigeria”.
But for Emmanuel Agbola, operations manager at Nigerian solar company LPV Technologies, the company’s mission goes beyond quality control and meeting customer orders.
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In a bright, spacious factory on the outskirts of Lagos, young engineers in overalls work their way along the production line, carefully inspecting the shimmery blue solar cells that turn sunlight into electricity.
Quality checks completed, the finished solar panels are loaded onto forklifts and taken to a warehouse – ready for delivery to buyers across Nigeria and in neighbouring West African countries. Each panel is labelled “Made in Nigeria”.
But for Emmanuel Agbola, operations manager at Nigerian solar company LPV Technologies, the company’s mission goes beyond quality control and meeting customer orders.
“We are looking at addressing the immediate power needs of Nigeria,” Agbola told Climate Home News in a quiet room away from the steady hum of machinery on the factory floor, where production began last year.
That is no small task. About four out of 10 Nigerians – more than 85 million people – still lack reliable access to grid electricity, according to Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Agency.
LPV Technologies is among a handful of startups making headway on the nation’s bold ambitions to build a domestic solar panel manufacturing industry, as solar becomes the go-to choice for Nigerian businesses and households fed up with frequent blackouts.
Nigeria’s national grid has collapsed about 22 times during the last two years due to transmission constraints, gas shortages and ageing infrastructure.
That is exactly why local solar panel manufacturing matters, according to Agbola.
“One of our slogans is ‘Make the sun pay for your bills’,” he said.
Nigeria has become one of Africa’s fastest-growing markets for increasingly affordable solar systems, which are providing more reliable and cheaper electricity for homes and workplaces than the fragile power grid.
Nigeria’s rapid solar adoption is being met mostly by small-scale solar installations which have helped bring the country’s total cumulative solar capacity to about 6 gigawatts (GW), according to a report by research provider BloombergNEF.
But almost every panel installed on homes, factories and public buildings across the country is imported – the vast majority from China – something the government wants to change.
“We are preparing to produce in this country the solar technologies that the entire continent will use,” President Bola Tinubu told a group of Chinese investors in 2024.
“Nigeria is a huge market for solar panels. Africa is a major consumer of solar technologies. I do not see why these panels and batteries cannot be produced here,” he said.
Two years on, that ambition is starting to bear fruit.
Not far from LPV’s factory, in the Agege neighbourhood of Lagos, workers are putting the finishing touches to a new commercial-scale veterinary vaccine cold-storage facility.
Up on the roof, 100 of LPV’s “Made in Nigeria” solar panels have been fixed into position.
Once operational, the panels and attached battery storage will provide round-the-clock electricity for offices, laboratories and cold-storage rooms at the site, helping to keep millions of vaccine doses safely refrigerated even when the national grid fails.
“This will never go off – all year round,” said the civil engineer overseeing work at the site, pointing to the rooftop installation. “It’s off-grid – 24 hours, seven days; constant electricity to run these two cooling units.”
The Nigerian government wants solar power to play a central role in bridging the country’s electricity access gap, but it also wants the equipment that will drive that transition to be produced at home to create new jobs and reduce imports. That aligns with its wider Nigeria First industry policy.
Nigeria’s booming solar market is still overwhelmingly supplied by foreign-made panels.
Last year, it imported about 2.9 million panels worth more than 400 billion naira ($295 million). More than 70% of them came from China, making Nigeria Africa’s second-largest importer of Chinese panels after South Africa.
China dominates almost every stage of the global solar manufacturing supply chain and a series of government-led initiatives to kickstart local production have yet to make major headway.
More than a decade ago, the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure established the country’s first government-backed solar panel factory in Karshi, Abuja. While successive upgrades have increased its production capacity to about 50 MW annually, the facility still supplies only a fraction of Nigeria’s growing demand.
The government has since announced more ambitious projects, including a Renewable Energy Industrial Park in Nasarawa state, expected to manufacture solar cells, panels and batteries, and a solar module assembly plant under construction by the Energy Commission of Nigeria in Enugu. Neither project has yet begun commercial production.
Last year, the government also proposed restricting solar panel imports to encourage domestic manufacturing, though the idea was swiftly dropped.
The scale of Nigeria’s challenge is obvious during a visit to Alaba International Market in Lagos, one of Africa’s largest electronics markets and a solar retail hub where thousands of panels change hands every week.
One recent morning in June, cart pushers could be seen weaving their way between crowds of shoppers and traffic jams, their trolleys stacked high with loads of freshly imported solar panels.
Nigeria is Africa’s biggest oil producer and fossil fuel exports have been the cornerstone of the economy for decades. But in the bustling market, solar has become such a good business in recent years that traders call it “the new oil“.
Even so, few said they had ever seen panels made in Nigeria.
“Every panel we get is imported,” said wholesaler Ndubuisi Nwobodo, adding that it was the first time he had heard of panels being produced domestically.
At one of the market’s largest solar warehouses, manager Chidiebere Ani watched as workers unloaded another container of supplies from China. He said 95% of the warehouse’s stock of panels came from China.
China controls more than 80% of global manufacturing capacity, according to the International Energy Agency, spanning every stage of the supply chain, from polysilicon and wafers to solar cells and finished modules.
Meanwhile, production at the LPV factory in Lagos is running at about 180,000 panels per year, Agbola said.
“If we had 10 LPVs, we still won’t be able to meet [Nigeria’s] demand,” Agbola said.
Even then, Nigerian producers face a tough contest on price. Imported 550-watt panels retail for about 150,000 naira ($110), the same price that LPV Technologies charges wholesalers.
Nigeria has plentiful affordable labour and – with a population of roughly 240 million – room for market growth as the falling price of panels makes them accessible to more people.
Chinese firms increasingly see opportunities to build manufacturing partnerships with local businesses, said Susan Li, the founder of Chinese solar company Solar Run Energy.
“We have to grow the industry together,” she said, cautioning that foreign investment in the sector would hinge on stable government policies and a steady exchange rate.
Last year’s short-lived proposal to ban panel imports, which was scrapped a month after it was floated, highlighted such investment concerns, said Wangari Muchiri, founder of Kenya-based RE.Think Energy.
“[One minute] solar imports were banned, and then they were not banned,” Muchiri said.
“If investors come in and there is already a clear path such that everyone knows how tariffs and customs duties are handled, then businesses can plan for those costs,” she explained. “But when policies keep changing, the risk becomes much higher.”
Li said she believed that “as time goes by, [policies] will become more stable”.
While Nigeria is making its first panels, it does not yet have the industrial capacity to produce vital solar cell components such as polysilicon, wafers and ingots.
At LPV, Agbola said having to import the components – up to 17 of them – eats into the company’s profit margins.
“When we combine [the cost of importing components] with other fixed-cost elements and we want to do our pricing, it becomes a big challenge for us in the market,” he said.
Because cells are the main component in a solar panel, LPV’s senior brand and marketing manager Kabir Okehi said it would be “a huge relief” to produce them domestically and avoid the high shipping logistics costs associated with imports. It also takes imported solar cells between six weeks and two months to get to Nigeria.
Many of the materials used in solar manufacturing – including silica, aluminium and steel – are available in Nigeria, but the country still lacks the technical know-how to turn them into higher-value components, experts say.
“What is missing in our local production is knowledge transfer,” said Mustapha Abdullahi, director-general of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, a government body responsible for strategic national energy policy planning and coordination.
He said Nigeria is still learning about the technologies needed to make solar cells domestically, with research institutes experimenting with materials such as graphene and production methods that could eventually support upstream manufacturing.
“We’re still in the pilot stages, doing reverse engineering to see how things are done,” he told Climate Home News.
Another major challenge for homegrown solar manufacturing is finance, Abdullahi said, adding that several Nigerian companies have expressed interest in manufacturing solar panels, but many struggle to secure the capital needed to establish production lines.
The government has tried to bridge that gap by connecting local companies with international financiers, while offering incentives to prospective investors, he said.
Last year, Nigeria announced a partnership with Chinese solar giant LONGi to establish a 1,000 MW manufacturing facility in the country. The agreement, Abdullahi said, is intended to accelerate technology transfer and help Nigeria expand domestic production far beyond its current assembly capacity of roughly 300 MW of solar panels annually.
That is equivalent to 545,000 panels – of about 550 watts each – per year.
Production will need to increase nearly ten-fold, Abdullahi estimated, to meet projected future demand.
As new investments and joint ventures start to yield results, that might be possible, he said.
“Nigeria can even be the solar panel hub globally, not just for Africa, and compete well even with China,” he added.
But Nigeria should not be aiming to compete with China, rather learning from it as it seeks to build up its solar industry ecosystem – from assembling imported components to eventually making more of them locally, said Godson Ikiebey, a renewable energy specialist at PwC Nigeria.
China did not become the world’s solar manufacturing giant overnight, Ikiebey said. It developed a long-term industrial strategy, invested heavily in manufacturing capacity and steadily climbed the value chain.
“For now, it’s good to have the ambition, but the ambition does not yet match the action,” Ikiebey added.
China dominates global solar manufacturing not simply because it produces panels cheaply, RE.Think Energy’s CEO Muchiri said, but because it controls technology, supply chains and economies of scale built over decades.
Rather than trying to recreate that system from scratch, Nigeria should join forces with Chinese companies to accelerate technology transfer while developing its own workforce and manufacturing base, she said.
Building an African solar industry should also extend beyond Nigeria, with different countries potentially specialising in different parts of the value chain, fostering regional trade. “This is going to be a big opportunity to look at a regional expansion rather than just one country,” she added.
Bringing such plans to fruition will take time and the goals should be realistic, Chinese investor Li said.
Items such as frames and screws could eventually be produced in Nigeria, but more sophisticated components like solar cells would still need to be imported because their production requires highly automated factories and a stable electricity supply, she said.
“You grow step by step. If you look at the long term, if you grow the seed and water it today, you will get the harvest tomorrow,” Li said.
When President Tinubu described his government’s solar hub plans to Chinese investors, he touted the country’s large, young workforce.
“The labour is cheaper. Our youths are vibrant and skilled. Our people are brilliant and adapt to new technology,” he said.
LPV’s factory in Lagos offers a glimpse of that vision.
A graduate in petroleum engineering, Ibeimo Biobele, 28, had no experience in solar manufacturing when she arrived at the factory a year ago as a member of the National Youth Service Corps – Nigeria’s mandatory one-year national service programme.
Like many university-leavers, Biobele faced an uncertain job market.
More than 93% of Nigerians work in the informal economy, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, meaning there are few skilled jobs for graduates like Biobele.
Today, she works on the production line assembling panels and hopes more such jobs will become available for young Nigerians in the years to come.
“If we had more factories like this, more young engineers would have opportunities after school,” she said.
This article was made possible with support from Surge Africa and One World Media.
Main image: A man carries a solar panel on his head while unloading a truck in Lagos, Nigeria (Photo: Mansur Ibrahim/Climate Home News)
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Several companies in Nigeria are developing local solar panel production, while the country’s government is seeking to reduce dependence on imported equipment, mainly from China. In particular, the LPV Technologies plant near Lagos, where production began last year, manufactures panels for buyers in Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries, Climate Home News reports.
According to Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Agency, about four in ten people in the country, more than 85 million people, do not have reliable access to centralised electricity supply. Over the past two years, Nigeria’s national power grid has suffered around 22 failures due to electricity transmission constraints, gas shortages and ageing infrastructure.
Solar systems are increasingly being installed in households and businesses affected by grid disruptions. According to BloombergNEF estimates, Nigeria’s total installed solar capacity has reached about 6 GW, mainly thanks to small-scale installations. In the Agege area of Lagos, 100 LPV panels were installed on the roof of a new veterinary vaccine storage complex. Together with batteries, they are intended to provide round-the-clock power to offices, laboratories and refrigerated facilities.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu told Chinese investors back in 2024 that the country intended to manufacture solar technologies and batteries for the African market. The authorities also announced renewable energy industrial park projects in Nasarawa State and a solar module assembly plant in Enugu. However, commercial production at these facilities has not yet begun.
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Nigeria’s solar market remains heavily dependent on foreign equipment. Last year, the country imported about 2.9 million panels worth more than 400 billion naira, or $295 million; more than 70% of supplies came from China. This made Nigeria the second-largest African importer of Chinese panels after South Africa.
According to LPV Technologies operations manager Emmanuel Agboli, the plant produces about 180,000 panels per year, but this is insufficient to meet domestic demand. The company imports up to 17 components, including solar cells, which increases costs. China controls more than 80% of global manufacturing capacity in the solar industry, the International Energy Agency notes. The retail price of an imported 550 W panel is about 150,000 naira, or $110 — the same amount LPV charges wholesale buyers.
Industry representatives also cited instability in government policy and the exchange rate as obstacles for investors. A proposal last year to restrict solar panel imports in support of local manufacturers was withdrawn about a month after it was announced.
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“We did look in to having it moved but DNO restrictions limited us to 17 Panels so decided against.”
Photo Credit: iStock
Installing rooftop solar and a home battery is supposed to give homeowners more control, from lower electricity bills to backup power and cleaner energy for everyday life.
But as one U.K. homeowner found, even a sleek new setup can come with a frustrating catch.
A thread on Reddit‘s r/SolarUK forum focused on a new home energy system with 17 455-watt panels — about 7.7 kilowatts of generation capacity — along with a Powerwall 3 and Tesla Gateway for backup. As the original poster wrote, “I’ve had 7.7kw of generation installed on the roof alongside a Powerwall 3 and Tesla Gateway with home backup.”
What frustrated the homeowner wasn’t the hardware, but the setup. As they explained, “the installers have configured it in a way where the battery cannot discharge to my EV.” For electric vehicle owners, that can wipe out one of the biggest everyday benefits of combining solar and battery storage: charging a car with stored solar power after sunset.
Want to go solar but not sure who to trust? EnergySage has your back with free and transparent quotes from fully vetted providers in your area.
To get started, just answer a few questions about your home — no phone number required. Within a day or two, EnergySage will email you the best options for your needs, and their expert advisers can help you compare quotes and pick a winner.
Going solar is one of the best ways to save money on home energy, especially when homeowners can compare options before deciding. Tools such as EnergySage let people get free solar installation estimates and compare quotes.
The discussion also touched on cost. The original poster said the system came to “£14k all in,” and one commenter praised the workmanship, writing, “It looks a very neat installation and professional.”
The thread also turned into a quick price check. One commenter said a comparable setup with 13 panels and a Powerwall 3, but no gateway, cost £10,400, adding that the gateway had been quoted as “an extra 1000.” Another commenter said they had received six quotes “all in the 13.5/14k mark for 14 panels, pw3 & gateway.”
Commenters also debated the roof layout. Explaining why a vent was not moved, the original poster said, “We did look in to having it moved but DNO restrictions limited us to 17 Panels so decided against.” Another commenter disagreed, writing, “DNO can’t restrict the amount of panels you have, only the amount of power you send back to the grid. This would have been an easy setting change on the inverter.”
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Export rules, inverter settings, roof layout, and battery configuration can all shape how much value a household gets from the system.
Battery interaction with EV charging, export limits, and roof obstacles can all affect the final design.
EnergySage’s free services can also simplify the shopping process. With EnergySage’s help, the average person can save up to $10,000 on solar purchases and installations. For U.S. homeowners, EnergySage’s solar map shows the average cost of a home solar panel system by state, along with details on solar panel incentives for each state. Together, these resources can help readers get the best price for rooftop solar panels and access available incentives.
Adding battery storage to a solar setup is one of the best ways to protect your home during outages, save money on energy, and go off-grid. It can also make day-to-day life easier by keeping key appliances running and storing electricity for later use. Homeowners interested in home battery storage options, including competitive installation estimates, can explore EnergySage.
💡Go deep on the latest news and trends shaping the residential solar landscape
As one commenter put it: “Come next summer that 7.7 kWp should generate loads of free electricity!”
These stories dig into the same questions that came up in the Reddit thread, from how battery storage fits into everyday use to what homeowners can actually do with a Tesla Powerwall. They also highlight how system design, cost, and access can shape whether solar delivers the flexibility people are hoping for.
• One off-grid homeowner has an impressive battery garage setup that even charges visiting EVs.
• Tesla has pushed Powerwall installations worldwide past half a million as home backup demand grows.
• In England, residents funded the first community-owned battery to keep extra solar power useful.
• Sunrun keeps expanding solar subscription plans as upfront costs still deter homeowners.
• In Colorado, officials promoted plug-in solar panels for residents blocked from rooftop installs.
That’s why setup details matter so much. With the right design, rooftop solar and storage can do far more than look good on paper — they can work the way homeowners expect day-to-day.
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Newswise — Solar energy can take many forms, but one of the newest in the United States is balcony solar. Already legal in Maryland and Virginia, with a bill pending in D.C., these compact units offer Mid-Atlantic renters and homeowners an inexpensive way to diversify their energy options, reduce stress on the grid, and save on their monthly bills.
Virginia Tech energy expert Saifur Rahman explains that, “Unlike more traditional rooftop solar systems that have existed for decades, the DC-AC inverter that comes with the panel connects directly to the household electrical outlet. It has electronic controls that allow electricity to flow to the house or apartment without any additional hardware.”
Because these systems are much smaller than full-house systems, they won’t replace your full energy load. Rahman says how much energy you can generate depends on how much space you have and the size of the panel you’re using. A typical 540-watt solar panel measures 90” x 68”.
“Two south-facing 540-watt panels will produce about 125 kWh of electricity in a clear, sunny month — a bit more in summer and less in winter,” says Rahman. “This will save the homeowner about $12 to $15 per month in Virginia.”
For those concerned about the broader increase in energy use across the region, adding balcony solar will also alleviate a bit of stress from the overall grid. But Rahman cautions that for optimal results, you do need a southern exposure — “if the balcony happens to face north, the above calculations will not hold.”
About Rahman
Saifur Rahman is the director of the Advanced Research Institute at Virginia Tech, where he is the Joseph Loring Professor in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. An internationally known researcher in the areas of electrical power, renewable energy, and smart grid, Rahman is the former president and CEO of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
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In 2026, industrial investment has entered a deep-water zone, where capital, technology and industry are accelerating their integration. The old investment logic no longer applies, and new consensus is taking shape. The 2026 Industrial Future Conference focuses on opportunities in the new cycle, and jointly explores the future of the industry and the birth of the “Light of China”. From September 9 to 10, the 2026 Industrial Future Conference hosted by 36Kr was held in Yizhuang, Beijing, with the theme of “Resonating for New Life Above the Deep Water”. Participants from state-owned asset platforms, industrial investment funds, corporate CVCs, innovative enterprises, experts and scholars gathered to focus on the industrialization of future industries such as quantum technology. The conference deeply discussed the current cutting-edge technology and industrial perspectives, intensively demonstrated breakthroughs in technical routes such as superconductivity, photonic quantum and ion trap, and shared a large number of specific industrial scenarios, industrial system construction, and the prospects of heterogeneous computing, to jointly explore the future of technology industry investment.
The following dialogue is organized and edited by 36Kr:
Speaker: Xu Fan, Co-founder & CTO of Shuowei Optoelectronics
Xu Fan: Thank you for the host’s introduction, and thank you for the invitation of the Industrial Future Conference. I am Xu Fan from Shuowei Optoelectronics. Today I will introduce the development ideas and current status of Shuowei Optoelectronics in the field of space perovskite photovoltaics. This topic also reflects the company’s vision: to become a pioneer and leader in China’s space perovskite photovoltaic and new generation space energy system sectors.
My presentation is mainly divided into three parts. The first part is about the industry and market landscape. In the early stage, industry participants including Elon Musk have carried out various attempts in the field of space photovoltaics, with application targets including satellites, starships and so on; at the same time, the national “15th Five-Year Plan” has also incorporated commercial aerospace, new energy, new materials and other sectors into key strategic directions.
With the support of relevant policies, we believe that starting from 2026, space photovoltaics will usher in an important development window. As low-orbit constellations enter the intensive launch phase, the number of satellites is increasing continuously, and the power of single satellite is also evolving from early low-power satellites to future high-power medium and large-sized satellites. For medium and low-orbit satellites, solar energy is still the most main and most mature energy acquisition method. Solar energy is the only feasible energy form for all medium and low-orbit satellites.
In terms of market space, relevant applications will gradually extend from short-term communication, navigation and remote sensing satellites to space computing satellites, and further to space-based energy infrastructure in the longer term. We judge that with the continuous development of space infrastructure, the market scale is expected to grow from the hundred-billion-yuan level to the ten-trillion-yuan level or even higher. Looking at the development trend of satellite energy systems, taking Starlink satellites as an example, the area of solar wings has increased from more than 20 square meters of the first generation to hundreds of square meters at present, which also reflects that the power demand of single satellite is constantly rising.
The right side is the public schematic diagram of computing satellites. It can be seen that the designed area of the solar wing reaches 600 square meters, and the wingspan is about 70 meters, which is almost equivalent to the wingspan of a Boeing 747 airliner. If all existing high-cost technologies are adopted, the cost of a single satellite for the solar wing alone will reach an extremely high level, which may be close to 100 million yuan.
Therefore, the future development trend of space energy technology will definitely continue to pursue lower cost, higher efficiency and higher specific energy ratio, which also returns to the core direction of our company: to develop new generation perovskite space photovoltaic technology. At present, there are two main types of mainstream space photovoltaic technologies.
The first type is crystalline silicon, and the second type is gallium arsenide. At present, the second-generation gallium arsenide thin-film cells are widely used in China, but the cost of gallium arsenide is still an important constraint affecting its large-scale application, and the selling price per square meter can reach 200,000 to 300,000 yuan. Facing the large-scale satellite deployment in the future and the rapid development of the commercial aerospace market, this high-cost gallium arsenide cell will face the challenge of cost reduction, and its structure can hardly support long-term sustainable development.
The perovskite photovoltaics selected by our team belong to the third-generation new photovoltaic technology, with abundant raw material reserves, low cost, and compatible with flexible substrates, which can well meet the needs of future space applications. In comparison, gallium arsenide is restricted by rare metal materials and high cost factors; as a transition solution, the first-generation crystalline silicon also faces certain challenges in further improving efficiency and reducing weight, and the room for further improvement in efficiency and weight is relatively limited. Perovskite technology has good adaptability to space application scenarios, and has obvious potential in lightweight, which is expected to achieve about 80% weight reduction; meanwhile, the cell efficiency also has high development space and is better than traditional crystalline silicon cells; more importantly, from the perspective of material and manufacturing system, its cost has great potential for reduction, and the cost of bare cell is expected to be about 1/20 of that of current gallium arsenide. We believe that by around 2028, perovskite is expected to form a coexistence pattern of multiple technical routes with gallium arsenide; in the medium and long term, with the continuous improvement of technology maturity and reliability, perovskite is expected to become one of the important technical routes in the field of space photovoltaics and space energy, and will become the leading technical route for future space photovoltaics and space energy.
The second part introduces the situation of our company.
The full name of our company is Beijing Shuowei Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. Its R&D headquarters and space photovoltaic related production lines are all located in Yizhuang Economic Development Zone. Founded in April 2023, the company is now a National High-tech Enterprise, Technology-based Small and Medium-sized Enterprise, Innovative Small and Medium-sized Enterprise and Beijing Municipal Intellectual Property Pilot Unit.
Our team has rich accumulation in patents, standards and papers, and currently owns more than 50 patents. Yesterday, we jointly with China Star Network, Shanghai Institute of Space Power-sources and other units jointly released the industry’s first perovskite solar cell technical specification standard for space applications, and also obtained other honors such as the science and technology demonstration product of the 14th Five-Year National Key R&D Program, which will not be expanded here.
There are many domestic ground photovoltaic enterprises, but space photovoltaics are not a simple extension of ground photovoltaics. We sum it up as five thresholds from multiple dimensions: whether it is the spectral condition, the photovoltaic cell itself, the aerospace environment, the evaluation and verification and the supply chain system, there are significant and essential differences between space photovoltaics and ground photovoltaics. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a set of technology, product and verification system more targeted at space applications, and ground technologies and products cannot be directly used in space scenarios.
The Shuowei Optoelectronics team has a strong aerospace native background. As early as 2018, the core members of our company started to carry out related work around the near-space; since the establishment of the company in 2023, we have continued to focus on the space application scenarios of perovskite. From 2024 to 2026, the company has gradually formed a pattern of in-depth cooperation with two “national teams”.
Our team’s aerospace technology accumulation started from the near-space about 35 kilometers above the surface, and now it has covered thousands of kilometers, and even the deeper space scenarios further away in the future. In August 2018, our chief scientist of the joint team, relying on Peking University, Northwestern Polytechnical University and Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, carried out experiments by mounting the relevant perovskite cell technology on a near-space balloon in Inner Mongolia; in 2021, Professor Tu Yongguang, the chief scientist, served as a review expert for relevant NASA projects in the United States; after the company was established in 2023, it fully focused on perovskite space applications, and continued to be recognized by Shanghai Institute of Space Power-sources under China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, and carried out in-depth research cooperation; in 2025, we jointly with Shanghai Institute of Space Power-sources, Northwestern Polytechnical University, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University established a joint laboratory of flexible photovoltaic technology under the relevant team of the State Key Laboratory of Space Power-sources; in June 2026, the National Laboratory for Deep Space Exploration made a strategic equity investment in the company, and the two sides began to further deepen the strategic cooperation, and will continue to carry out explorations around deep space energy in the future.
At present, we maintain in-depth cooperation with the two “national teams”.
We have established a joint laboratory with No. 811 Research Institute, and we are also the only enterprise side that has been publicly announced to carry out in-depth cooperation by this “national team”. In the future, relying on the on-orbit mounting channel of No. 811 Research Institute, we will carry out cooperation in joint application for military product projects, subsequent mass production procurement and equity cooperation.
In terms of the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, we mainly focus on deep space energy, and jointly established the Deep-Shuo Space Power Application Joint Innovation Center, to carry out cutting-edge research around future large-scale space constellations, Earth orbits, extraterrestrial orbit, planetary exploration and other directions.
This also makes us the only perovskite enterprise in China that simultaneously carries out in-depth cooperation with the scientific research forces of the two major national-level space energy laboratories. We not only pay attention to the recent space photovoltaic applications, but also actively lay out the longer-term deep space energy.
In terms of the aerospace photovoltaic technology system, facing the complex aerospace environment, we have carried out key layout and R&D in aerospace-grade materials, processes and cell substrates around the directions of single-crystallized perovskite, radiation resistance stability, and space spectrum adaptation.
In terms of product layout, we adopt the route of “combining rigidity and flexibility”: there are rigid perovskite cells similar to the traditional gallium arsenide product form, and also flexible perovskite products that can be wound and thinned. Relevant products have obtained test reports from domestic and foreign aerospace institutes, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation has also issued the application scenario certificate of the company’s products, as well as stability related reports, and the overall test performance is good.
This is our “Yuxi” series product matrix, including three perovskite cell chips for aerospace-grade applications. The product names are taken from traditional cultural imagery such as *The Book of Documents* and other Chinese classics, and are named as three series: “Tianyuan”, “Chuiyun” and “Taisu”.
The Tianyuan series mainly has the advantages of rigidity and lightweight, facing low-cost space applications, and is suitable for mass replacement scenarios of communication, navigation and remote sensing satellites in the future.
The core advantage of the Chuiyun series is that it is flexible and can be wound, with a high storage ratio, and will be applicable to scenarios such as large computing satellites, large space stations and constellations in the future.
The Taisu series is a tandem cell based on perovskite technology, with efficiency reaching more than 30%, which can meet the demand of satellites for smaller occupied area and higher power per unit area in the future.
Based on these three perovskite cell chips, in March this year, we released the industry’s first system-level perovskite solar wing “Yuxi Tianyuan” series at the Shenzhen Commercial Aerospace Exhibition. This product is mainly equipped with rigid and lightweight Tianyuan cell chips, realizing integrated power generation from the cell slice to the whole solar wing panel system. The product was released in March, and soon received the first solar wing order from April to May. At the same time, this year we will also intensively carry out normalized satellite mounting and near-space tests to accelerate the verification of the product’s performance in the real environment.
This is also related to our enterprise positioning. As mentioned earlier, there are obvious differences between the space photovoltaic supply chain and the ground photovoltaic supply chain. The market scale of commercial aerospace was relatively limited in the past, so in addition to the traditional “national team” system, the relevant market-oriented supply chain is still in the process of continuous improvement in some links. The market scale of commercial aerospace was small in the past, so in addition to the traditional “national team” system, the relevant market-oriented supply chain is still relatively blank in many links.
Therefore, we have also carried out a series of layouts for the supply chain, including finding suitable suppliers for aerospace-grade perovskite materials and components; at the same time, relying on national research institutions such as No. 811 Research Institute and Deep Space Laboratory, we are promoting a number of tests and process requirements for space-grade materials.
We mainly promote cooperation through four starting points: relying on the joint laboratory of the State Key Laboratory of Space Power-sources to hold quarterly meetings, and invite industry, government, media and investors to participate; taking the lead in applying for military product projects; jointly participating in the preparation of top-level guidelines with the Deep Space Laboratory; and striving to enter the national team’s priority procurement system after mass production. We believe that these layouts will help to further consolidate and enhance the company’s industry position in the space perovskite photovoltaic field.
Finally, I will introduce the company’s development vision. We believe that the overall commercialization path of space perovskite photovoltaics can be divided into three stages. From 2026 to 2028 is the verification period, and the technology maturity has not reached level 9 to 10. Therefore, in this stage, continuous testing, mounting and iteration are needed to gradually obtain customer recognition for product reliability.
In this stage, the revenue mainly comes from technical services and project funds. After 2028, it will gradually enter the commercialization stage, mainly selling cell slices, solar wings and power systems and other system-level products; after 2030, with the advancement of large-scale deep space constellation construction, the company hopes to further transform into an energy service-oriented enterprise under appropriate circumstances.
We are not just selling cell slices. In the long run, we also hope to participate in the operation of energy systems related to large constellations. According to the overall plan, in the early stage, we will gradually realize the replacement and expand the application with perovskite photovoltaic cells for communication, navigation and remote sensing satellites; in the medium and long term, we will further target the new generation of space energy systems and the construction of future space energy infrastructure.
This page shows the investment highlights, which is also a summary of the overall situation of the team. We build technical barriers relying on industry-leading and differentiated technologies, and form in-depth cooperation with No. 811 Research Institute of the Eighth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory; at the same time, we are building a partner matrix for commercial aerospace, and more commercial satellite companies will join in the future.
On this basis, our team completed two rounds of financing, Pre-A and Pre-A+, in the first half of this year, and is currently promoting the Pre-A++ round of financing with a financing amount of about 80 million yuan. Interested investment institutions are welcome to further communicate and connect with us.
The above is all my presentation. Thank you for listening. Thank you!
This article is originally produced by「未来一氪」， For reprint or content cooperation, please click Reprint Instructions ；Unauthorized reprint will be held accountable.
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“And it just sits on your roof for years, quietly saving you money with no fuss.”
Photo Credit: iStock
A reassuring solar story is catching attention in the U.K. after a homeowner said in a post on Reddit that their rooftop solar-and-battery system had been a “wonderful anticlimax” since going live.
The system was dependable, quiet, and free of surprises, thereby offering a useful counterpoint to the horror stories that can make home solar feel risky.
The original poster summed it up simply on the r/SolarUK subreddit.
“No drama, no worries or power issues,” they wrote. “The only thing I would change is the paperwork side of it re export but that’s government and bureaucracy so no surprises.”
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For that homeowner, the equipment was not the headache. The frustration came from the forms involved in exporting extra electricity, a sign that jumping through regulatory hoops can still be more irritating than the hardware.
Other Reddit users reported a similar pattern, saying their systems worked as intended and the bigger obstacle was dealing with grid paperwork and approvals.
One commenter said delays had cost them around £100 (~$135 USD) in export payments, illustrating how administrative holdups can eat into the financial upside even when the technology itself is functioning properly.
Nonetheless, going solar is one of the best ways to save money on home energy, especially when a well-sized system can reduce how much electricity you need to buy from the grid and potentially generate export credits. Homeowners who want to price out the opportunity can explore EnergySage as one resource.
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The replies also showed two sides of solar ownership. Some people were happy to leave the system alone and let it lower their bills, while others joked about getting pulled into charts, settings, export plans, and custom software.
“… until you start getting in to settings, numbers, exporting data, strategies… ahem… I mean, it’s just set and forget!” they joked.
In practical terms, maximizing the tech can mean lower electricity bills, earnings from exported power, and more control over household energy use. For households pairing panels with batteries, it can also mean storing daytime electricity for later instead of buying more expensive power after sunset.
For homeowners comparing options, EnergySage can help the average homeowner save up to $10,000 on solar installations. By comparing quotes from vetted installers, households can land the best deals in their area.
💡Go deep on the latest news and trends shaping the residential solar landscape
The original poster’s experience wasn’t unique to other Reddit users.
“And it just sits on your roof for years, quietly saving you money with no fuss,” a user remarked.
To make matters even easier, EnergySage’s solar map is also available for readers who want to explore solar options. It shows the average price on a state-by-state level, as well as available incentives. Put together, that can help readers get the best price and access all incentives.
Adding battery storage to a solar setup is one of the best ways to protect your home during outages, save money on energy, and go off grid. Batteries can also help households hold onto cheap or self-generated electricity for later use instead of depending on the grid at peak times. Readers can explore EnergySage for home battery storage options.
The Reddit thread was a reminder that home solar tends to feel best when it’s boring and quietly lowering bills. The real headaches may come from paperwork, pricing, and policy. Those sticking points, including installation costs, tax credits, rule changes, provider trust, and scams can turn a simple upgrade into a hassle.
• EnergySage COO Charlie Hadlow broke down solar panel costs for homeowners weighing an installation.
• In California, homeowners said a major rule change made rooftop solar feel harder to reach.
• In the Philippines, concerns about trustworthiness of providers kept many households from installing panels.
• In Australia, residents flagged a brazen online scam promising homeowners ‘free’ solar panels.
A quiet, low-drama rooftop system often depends on a lot of consequential decisions before and after installation. For readers drawn to that “wonderful anticlimax,” the costs, incentives, and policy shifts around solar are still worth keeping an eye on.
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A version of this analysis appeared on ScienceBlog.com.
Discarded solar panels carry silver at a concentration that would interest any mining company, yet most of that metal in Australia is currently heading straight to landfill.
Inside end-of-life panels, silver sits at roughly 300 to 500 parts per million, a grade comparable in some cases to the ore that dedicated silver mines are built around. By 2050, Australia is projected to be holding more than one million tonnes of retired panels, containing an estimated 300 to 500 tonnes of silver.
Individually, that amount looks small. A single panel holds around 20 grams of silver, worth roughly AUD 3.66 a gram, hardly enough on its own to justify a dedicated recycling line. Spread across a million tonnes of panels, though, the pile starts to resemble an ore body that has already been mined, shipped, and sorted into rectangles.
Only about 15 percent of used solar panels in Australia are currently recycled at all, and even then, processors typically reclaim just the glass and aluminium frame. The silver sits inside the solar cell itself, and extracting it has usually required acid-based chemistry that mainstream recyclers have not adopted.
Associate Professor Mahshid Firouzi, deputy director of the University of Newcastle’s Centre for Critical Minerals and Urban Mining, said the country is effectively burying silver in landfill when it has the ability to recover it. Her team has been testing an alternative approach borrowed directly from the mining industry.
The method involves crushing panels and running the ground material through froth flotation, a standard mineral-processing technique in which valuable particles cling to air bubbles in water and float to the surface. In an 18-month study published in December 2025, the researchers reported recovering more than 97 percent of the silver within minutes, without using acid.
The team followed that result with a continuous pilot trial in August 2026, processing about 22 kilograms of cell material drawn from roughly 460 kilograms of panels, equivalent to 23 typical rooftop modules. Researchers described the pilot as moving the process closer to commercial viability, though the near-complete recovery figure comes from a single trial rather than an operating plant.
A working extraction method does not by itself close the recycling gap. Panels still need to be collected, transported, and delivered to a facility equipped to process more than glass and frames, steps that remain largely unaddressed. What flotation changes is the economics once panels do arrive, concentrating silver into a product representing just 1.25 percent of the original cell material.
Whether the technique shifts Australia’s recycling rate beyond its current 15 percent likely depends less on the chemistry, which appears close to solved, and more on policy questions around collection and transport costs that have yet to be settled.
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Enel, the Italian power utility, has acquired two US solar photovoltaic ventures totaling 625MW in generation capacity.
The Faraday and Skyhawk projects were purchased by the company’s subsidiaries from Excelsior Energy Capital, a clean energy investor based in the US, for roughly US$760 million. This deal stems from a purchase and sale agreement inked in February 2026, when Enel committed to taking over an 860MW portfolio of solar PV and wind power from Excelsior via its subsidiaries Enel Green Power North America and EGPNA Project Holdco 2.
Of the two solar installations, Faraday is the bigger one: a 525MW operational facility located in Utah County, Utah, secured by a 20-year power purchase agreement with PacifiCorp under Rocky Mountain Power’s Schedule 34 green energy tariff. Excelsior finalized US$1.3 billion in financing for this project in November 2023.
Skyhawk, a 100MW project in Obion County, Tennessee, has been operational since 2023 and likewise holds a long-term power purchase agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Alex Ellis, co-founder and partner at Excelsior Energy Capital, called the divestment of Faraday and Skyhawk a significant milestone for the firm. He noted that the deal demonstrates ongoing advancement in unlocking value and delivering capital back to investors, and highlights the robustness of the contracted renewable infrastructure the company develops, centered on assets supported by solid counterparties and long-term power purchase agreements.
The investor has backed two dedicated renewable energy investment vehicles, the Excelsior Renewable Energy Investment Funds. The second fund wrapped up in April 2025 with US$1 billion in committed capital, almost twice the amount of the first fund, which concluded in 2021. Both funds had invested in the Faraday and Skyhawk projects and have now divested their holdings.
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Wunder, a Boulder-based renewable-energy company, has begun deploying solar systems in partnership with real estate private-equity company Prime Group Holdings LLC.
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“It’s open from the bottom, so flat handles storms much better than it would on a tilt.”
Photo Credit: Reddit
A backyard gazebo can do more than provide shade when its roof generates solar power all day.
That is the appeal behind one DIY setup in the United Kingdom, where a homeowner said a small four-panel system produced as much as 11 kilowatt-hours a day.
The homeowner shared a photo of the project in a post on Reddit and wrote: “Will update with my numbers as they come in but currently looking good. Looks like a six-month payoff with good weather.”
In a comment, the original poster identified the array as “2.16kw (4 x Aiko 540w).” They noted daily generation had been running at roughly 6 kWh when conditions were poor, though they said winter output was unknown.
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The OP also said the panels were not level, writing: “It has some kind of tilt on it although not much. It’s open from the bottom, so flat handles storms much better than it would on a tilt.”
One user commented, “A lot of solar gazebos are designed that way because it serves both purposes.”
Homeowners considering a similar move can explore EnergySage to get free solar installation estimates and compare quotes.
A solar gazebo can create a more comfortable outdoor living space while also producing electricity that helps offset household energy use.
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The comment thread touched on practical details beyond output. Several users discussed how panel angle can affect production in different seasons, especially when winter sun and tree cover come into play.
“It’s fine in the U.K., where OP is, to be close to the boundary if it’s under 2.5m total height,” one wrote.
For homeowners inspired by this build, EnergySage’s free services can make the process easy to navigate. With EnergySage’s help, the average person can save up to $10,000 on a solar purchase and installation.
EnergySage’s solar map shows the average cost of a home solar panel system by state along with details on solar panel incentives available in each state. Together, these resources can help you get the best price for rooftop solar panels and access available incentives.
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Adding battery storage to a solar setup is one of the best ways to protect your home during outages, save money on energy, and go off-grid. It can also help households use more of the electricity they generate instead of losing some of the value of peak production. You can explore EnergySage for information about home battery storage options, including competitive installation estimates.
Solar gazebos are one piece of a shift toward home energy setups that do not rely only on rooftops. These articles look at the different ways homeowners, renters, and communities are generating power, cutting bills, and making better use of the space they have.
• Arka Energy launched a yard structure that allows homeowners to generate solar power without altering rooftops.
• In Germany, renters are embracing power-generating balcony systems that expand small-space solar options.
• Homeowners weighing installations can see how solar panels work before comparing roof or gazebo setups.
• In North Lincolnshire, a free solar panel scheme achieves a milestone while lowering residents’ energy bills.
• Designers are testing creative uses of solar that push panels beyond standard rooftops.
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Several commenters said winter performance was the real test.
Photo Credit: iStock
For one homeowner planning a large rooftop solar installation, the panels were the easy part. Multiple installers agreed on a 37-panel setup for an all-electric home with a heat pump and an EV, but battery recommendations varied sharply.
In a discussion on r/SolarUK, the poster said the property uses about 11,000 kilowatt-hours a year and had received proposals ranging from two or three Sigenergy batteries to a larger Hinen system, raising a common pre-purchase question: How much is enough?
The homeowner said several companies “all have agreed on 37 panels being the optimal amount for the space available and the sun path,” but battery advice varied widely.
Battery sizing can greatly affect both upfront costs and day-to-day savings.
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Commenters quickly pointed out that annual electricity use alone does not tell the whole story.
One Redditor advised, “If you’re on an EV tariff and only charge during the ‘off peak’ hours deduct that from your annual usage — this gives you the annual consumption for your house only. Then divide the annual house total by 365 which gives you your average daily consumption.”
Batteries often serve two purposes at once: storing solar power generated during the day and shifting cheaper overnight electricity into more expensive daytime hours.
For homes with heat pumps, EVs, or both, a battery that is too small may run out during colder days, while an oversized system could sit underused for long stretches.
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Going solar is one of the best ways to save money on home energy, especially when you can compare equipment and installer recommendations side by side. If you’re interested in pricing out your own system, you can explore EnergySage for free solar installation estimates and to compare quotes.
While panel count may be limited by roof shape and sun exposure, storage needs can depend on lifestyle, utility tariff structure, winter heating demand, export rules, and whether you charge an EV at home.
Several commenters said winter performance was the real test.
Another Redditor wrote, “Assuming you charge your EV during off-peak hours, it all comes down to how much does your heat pump consume on an average winter day.”
💡Go deep on the latest news and trends shaping the residential solar landscape
Battery storage can also make everyday life easier by helping households ride through outages, reduce purchases during peak-rate hours, and keep essential appliances running during severe weather. It can also give homeowners more flexibility to store extra solar energy instead of selling it back when export payments are low.
Several commenters suggested modeling actual household demand in winter rather than relying only on annual totals.
Expandable systems let homeowners start smaller and add capacity later if real-world energy use ends up higher than expected.
Adding battery storage to a solar setup is one of the best ways to protect your home during outages, save money on energy, and go off-grid. It also gives families more control over when they use their power, which can be especially valuable for homes with electric heating and vehicle charging. You can explore EnergySage for information about home battery storage options, including competitive installation estimates.
EnergySage also offers free tools that can help buyers avoid overpaying. For readers in the U.S., EnergySage’s solar map shows the average cost of a home solar panel system by state, along with details on solar panel incentives for each state. Together, those resources can help readers get the best price for rooftop solar panels and access available incentives. With EnergySage’s help, the average person can save up to $10,000 on solar purchases and installations, making its free comparison services especially useful toward the end of the shopping process.
Sizing is only part of the decision, especially for households also thinking about backup power, financing, and brand reliability. Battery options are widening, from no-money-down home systems to community and utility-scale plans in the U.K. and U.S.
• Homeowners using SunPower and Palmetto can add home backup batteries without upfront costs.
• Jackery has introduced a home battery system with automatic fire suppression and 100 safety safeguards.
• In England, residents raised £440,000 for the UK’s first community-owned battery storing surplus solar.
• A new U.K. proposal says neighborhood-scale batteries could cut energy bills by storing cheaper electricity.
Looking at how these projects are paid for and put to use can help homeowners decide whether it makes more sense to start with a smaller system they can expand later or buy more capacity up front.
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Households, businesses, and utilities could all feel the impact.
Photo Credit: iStock
Price has long been the main knock on solar panels made in the United States. They have typically been much more expensive than comparable panels from China.
That difference is shrinking, but the change seems to reflect policy as much as manufacturing.
As a new video from creator The Electric Viking (@electricviking) revealed, federal support is lowering domestic costs, while the period of rock-bottom Chinese panel pricing may be fading.
Intertek CEA analysis highlighted in the video shows that the once roughly threefold price difference between U.S. and Chinese solar modules has tightened considerably.
Intertek CEA’s estimate puts a TOPCon panel from a fully integrated Chinese factory at under 12 cents per watt. Per The Electric Viking, a U.S. plant using American-made cells is still above 37 cents per watt before incentives. However, Section 45X credits of 7 cents per watt for modules and 4 cents per watt for cells would bring that U.S. cost down to roughly 21 cents per watt.
That would put U.S.-made modules within a small margin of panels produced in countries like Vietnam and India, the creator noted. Meanwhile, Chinese suppliers may be headed toward higher export prices as manufacturers contend with oversupply, losses, and policy shifts at home.
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“For American buyers, the cheap panel era is over regardless of origin, though,” The Electric Viking concluded.
Because solar is already among the cheapest options for adding new power in many regions, even modest changes in module pricing could matter. If the lowest-cost panels on the world market stop getting cheaper and start getting pricier, households, businesses, and utilities could all feel the impact.
The video also cited a separate U.S. policy move. Starting December 4, imported wafers, cells, and modules would face a 15% tariff, along with minimum prices of 22 cents per watt for cells and 38 cents per watt for modules. As The Electric Viking noted, that effectively bars cheaper imports from being sold beneath those thresholds in the U.S. market.
Still, some viewers noted that panel pricing is only part of the broader equation.
“The price of panels isn’t the issue in the US,” one commenter opined. “It’s the cost of everything else that adds $20k to the price.”
Another commenter raised a broader concern about whether the narrowing gap reflects genuine competition.
“It’s not a true cost parity if it depends on subsidies and tariffs,” they asserted.
Washington is using both incentives and trade barriers to try to build out domestic solar manufacturing and improve the competitiveness of U.S. production. The Electric Viking said American module capacity could approach 60 gigawatts, with more growth possible by early 2027, though cell supply remains the main bottleneck.
Solar can still be a powerful money-saving tool, but the sticker price of panels is only one part of the total cost. Installation labor, permitting, interconnection, and financing often have a major effect on what a homeowner actually pays.
Even if ultra-cheap panels are fading, lower household energy bills can still make rooftop solar worthwhile in the right market.
“For the rest of us, the bigger news is that the cheapest panel on Earth is now rising in price, not falling,” The Electric Viking remarked.
The narrowing solar price gap is still evolving. China’s manufacturing scale drove ultra-cheap modules. In response, U.S. companies are trying to catch up by building more capacity at home, with technology and supply chains likely to matter as much as tariffs and tax credits in what comes next.
• China’s solar manufacturing expansion is reshaping global supply chains and pressuring U.S. producers.
• U.S. installers saw panel prices hit all-time lows, while broader system costs stayed stubbornly high.
• Heliene and Suniva struck a multimillion-dollar supply deal to expand American-made panels and cells.
• Chinese solar maker Trina unveiled a 907-watt panel that pushed module efficiency even higher.
• In Japan, researchers developed a solar cell that lasts 30 years, hinting at future competition.
The bigger question is whether rising panel prices are a short-term reset or the start of a longer-term shift in the global solar market.
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What was claimed
There are thousands of square miles of solar panels on UK farmland.
Our verdict
This is wrong and in fact a substantial overstatement. The government’s latest estimate suggests around 81.9 square miles of UK land in total is occupied by ground-mounted solar panels.
“What we don’t want to see on farmers’ land is solar panels up and down the country. There’s literally thousands of square miles on farmland.”
During a Q&A at Reform UK’s party conference last week, party chair Lee Anderson claimed that solar panels cover “thousands of square miles on farmland” in the UK.
This is wrong and in fact a substantial overstatement. Most solar farms in the UK are built on farmland, but the total area of land estimated to be covered by them is much less than a thousand square miles.
In September 2024, ground-mounted solar panels covered “an estimated 21,200 hectares (52,000 acres)” or “around 0.1 per cent of the total land area of the UK”, according to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).
21,200 hectares is equivalent to approximately 81.9 square miles, or about 0.1% of the total UK land area of 24,438,000 hectares.
The DESNZ told Full Fact this remains its latest estimate.
In July 2025 researchers at Lancaster University produced a slightly lower estimate of up to 17,364 hectares, or 67 square miles. They estimated that of this, around 10,118 hectares (39 square miles) may have previously been arable or horticulture land.
We’ve contacted Mr Anderson for comment and will update this article if we receive a response.
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The government’s UK Solar Roadmap sets out that under the government’s Clean Power Action Plan, “around 0.4% of total UK land” would be required for solar by 2030.
It’s worth noting that this figure is based on what the government describes as a “very unlikely” scenario in which all new solar capacity is developed as ground-mounted infrastructure, with no new rooftop solar.
The Lancaster University report estimates that under this scenario, a total of around 96,500 hectares (373 square miles) would be required for solar capacity. If all this was deployed on agricultural land, this would represent around 0.83% of total UK farmland.
Opponents of solar farm expansion have frequently cited a much higher figure of 655,000 acres (around 1,023 square miles) as the amount of farmland set to be covered by solar panels, which appears to be based on a report that claims this is the amount of land solar farms in the “pipeline” would cover by 2035.
The report cites the National Energy Systems Operator’s register of projects that hold contracts for Transmission Entry Capacity (TEC). This is a live database, so we’ve not been able to verify this exact figure, which the report says is from June 2025. But it’s worth being clear that many of the projects listed in this register will ultimately not be taken forward.
The 655,000 acres estimate is far higher than even the most ambitious scenario considered by researchers at Lancaster University, which it estimated would require 173,700 hectares of solar capacity (671 square miles) by 2050. And regardless, it’s still less than the “thousands of acres” claimed by Mr Anderson.
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As the cause of the Boyle Heights fire remains under investigation, the companies involved are using different words to describe what happened — and who should answer for it.
Camryn Rael
In August 2024, a fire broke out around the rooftop solar panels at Lineage Logistics’ cold-storage facility in Boyle Heights, although its cause was not determined. Nearly two years later, on June 17, 2026, another fire began on the roof of the same 500,000-square-foot warehouse, eventually destroying the facility and leaving the surrounding community dealing with smoke, odors and pollution for months.
This time, Lineage is pointing to the solar system more directly. In a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, the company alleges that faulty electrical connections caused the fire and that the companies responsible for the system failed to address known problems. The solar array was owned by Los Palos Street Operating, an Altus Power subsidiary, while Pearce Services served as its contractor. Lineage, which operated the warehouse but did not own or maintain the solar panels, says approximately 200 faulty connections had been identified by May, including about 10 near where the June fire began. The company alleges that it asked the solar companies to keep the system off until the problems were repaired, but that it was re-energized anyway.
Both companies dispute Lineage’s account. Pearce has said the cause and origin of the fire remain under investigation, while Los Palos has rejected Lineage’s claims and argued that Lineage, as the tenant, was responsible for what followed at the site. The fire itself burned for days, and LAFD did not fully contain the fire until June 24, seven days after its ignition.
The aftermath created another question of responsibility. With the warehouse’s refrigeration system destroyed, food inside spoiled, contributing to odors and air quality complaints in the surrounding community. Lineage has said it expects to spend more than $100 million on cleanup, while city officials questioned whether the company should rebuild at the site or relocate.
In a recent press release, Lineage called it a “solar fire, not a warehouse fire.” A warehouse fire and a solar fire may describe the same physical event, but they carry different meanings and different consequences. One puts the building and the company operating inside it at the center of the description. The other puts the equipment on the roof, and the companies responsible for it, in the foreground.
The difference is subtle, but so is the language surrounding nearly every disputed part of the case. Lineage says the solar companies “caused” the fire. The companies named in the lawsuit emphasize that its cause has not been established. Lineage points to faulty connections that it says were known before the fire; the defendants dispute both the allegations and what those facts establish. Even the question of what happened after the fire is described differently depending on who is speaking.
The fire itself is not in question; what remains contested is how it is characterized. The words used to describe it bring different elements of the event into focus: the roof or the building, the solar equipment or the warehouse operation, the origin of the fire or the consequences that followed it.
The investigation will address what caused the fire, while the lawsuit will address what responsibility can legally be assigned. Until then, the facts are being argued not only through evidence but through the language used to frame them.
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LONG ISLAND POWER SOLUTIONS CALLS HOME BATTERY BACKUP THE MOST MEANINGFUL UPGRADE TO EXISTING SOLAR PANELS einnews.com
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This analysis and news roundup come from the Canary Media Weekly newsletter. Sign up to get it every Friday.
Summer is only just coming to a close, but this year’s top clean energy trendsetter is already clear.
At the start of 2026, you may never have even heard of balcony solar. The panels have long been staples in Germany, where residents quite literally hang them off their balconies and plug them into standard wall outlets, cutting their use of power from the grid and their electric bills. But in the U.S., only one state — Utah — had explicitly legalized use of the tech as of the beginning of this year.
It turns out balcony solar was just waiting for its moment in the sun — a moment that arrived in 2026 as Americans searched for ways to reduce their skyrocketing power bills.
More than two dozen state legislatures had introduced balcony solar bills as of February, and several started legalizing the systems throughout the year. Virginia became the second state to allow plug-in panels in April, and Colorado and states across the Northeast soon followed suit. Today, nine states have balcony solar laws on the books, and three have passed bills that await their governors’ signatures.
The above map is set to keep changing in the coming months as state legislatures that deferred their measures start new sessions and get back to work.
Still, even if you do live in a balcony solar–supporting state, you can’t simply run out to an Ikea to buy panels like you can in Germany. Just a few vendors are selling plug-in panel kits in the U.S., given the nuances of state and federal electrical codes. Only time will tell if American solar makers decide to get in the game — and which state will be the next to join the plug-in panel crew.
Bipartisan love for a nuclear renaissance
America is coming around on nuclear power. Case in point? Both the Trump administration and Democrats in California are backing the industry’s resurgence.
This week, the Trump administration closed its third loan to help a shuttered nuclear power plant fire back up, offering up to $1.9 billion to NextEra Energy as the firm restarts Iowa’s Duane Arnold Energy Center.
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Meanwhile in California, leaders are rethinking the state’s ban on reactor construction and considering whether to stop its only operational nuclear plant from shutting down in the first place. The Diablo Canyon plant was supposed to cease operations in 2025, but California lawmakers already extended its life once, through 2030, and may let it run through 2045. The effort has support from the Trump administration, too, with the DOE awarding utility Pacific Gas & Electric $271 million to help it keep Diablo Canyon operating.
Carbon capture finally moves forward in Europe
Two major carbon capture facilities came online in Europe this week — big steps forward for an industry that has floundered around the world.
The first facility, Europe’s largest of its kind, opened at Yara International’s ammonia plant in the Netherlands. The system will capture and liquefy as much as 800,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year, which will be transported and stored beneath the seabed off Norway. A second, smaller carbon capture setup meanwhile opened in Germany. Cool Planet Technologies built the facility at a cement plant owned by materials giant Holcim, where it’ll capture as much as 10,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually to be reused in other industries.
Still, despite these wins, carbon capture firms have a long road ahead as they grapple with high costs, environmental and landowner opposition, and doubts about the tech’s viability as a climate solution.
On the bright side: The U.S. solar industry installed 11.4 GW of capacity in the second quarter of the year, up 43% from the previous quarter and 45% from a year earlier as the industry raced to take advantage of soon-to-expire federal incentives. (SEIA)
Clean spending falters: The pace of global investment in cleantech is leveling off after years of steady expansion, with spending dropping 17% in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period last year. (Clean Investment Monitor)
Bad news for batteries: The Trump administration’s vague executive order cracking down on foreign-made grid components could pose problems for the U.S. battery storage industry, which has thrived despite federal clean energy attacks. (Canary Media)
Look who’s back: Global coal demand is on track to rise again this year as war in the Middle East shakes up oil and gas markets and a powerful El Niño increases the need for cooling power. (IEA)
Lost in translation: A new poll finds that 57% of American voters say renewable energy advocates exaggerate just how cheap wind and solar power generation has become — but less than a third cite clean energy as a driver of higher power bills. (Heatmap)
Virginia’s climate choice: While Virginia hasn’t backtracked on its ambitious emissions goals, unlike some other states, a top utility’s plans for a major gas plant could make meeting the targets impossible. (Canary Media)
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Kathryn Krawczyk is the engagement editor at Canary Media.
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This marks the launch of a portfolio-wide initiative designed to turn underutilised rooftop space across Prime Group’s self-storage portfolio into productive clean energy infrastructure.
Through the partnership with Wunder, Prime Group is deploying the solar energy systems it owns across its national Prime Storage portfolio, with Wunder providing ongoing management of the systems.
Initial deployments include projects in Rhode Island, Connecticut, California, and Maryland, where rooftop solar systems are being brought online, demonstrating how self-storage facilities can serve as practical, distributed energy assets, while avoiding new land development.
Many of the projects utilise state-based community solar programmes, which can allow power generated from Prime Group’s rooftops to be delivered to local residents at a discount to utility rates, with additional savings available for low- and moderate-income households. By utilising its rooftop assets, Prime Group expects the programme to facilitate lower energy costs for participating households while generating energy savings for its own operations.
“We believe on-site energy infrastructure has emerged as a compelling value creation strategy” said Robert J. Moser, Founder, Principal, and Chief Executive Officer of Prime Group. “As a longtime innovative owner and operator in the evolving self-storage sector, we are focused on initiatives that we believe can enhance asset performance and generate incremental income over time. This strategic partnership with Wunder supports the delivery of clean power to the communities we serve and supports our long-term portfolio strategy and broader strategic objectives.”
Wunder’s national solar deployment strategy for Prime Group’s portfolio is driven by local utility programmes and regulations, state-level incentives, and property-specific considerations. Each participating asset is systematically evaluated to identify an appropriate solution intended to support asset performance, support sustainability objectives, and create measurable community benefit. Across Prime Group’s portfolio of more than 330 assets, more than 100 projects are under development across nine states, totalling more than 38 megawatts of solar development.
“We are honoured to work with Prime Group’s forward-thinking team, who share a commitment to sustainability and operational excellence” added Dave Riess, Chief Executive Officer of Wunder. “For self-storage operators, solar can present an opportunity to accelerate clean energy adoption while potentially reducing operating expenses. We look forward to leveraging our expertise in energy infrastructure to build a strong partnership with Prime Group and support additional long-term value creation across their portfolio for years to come.”
As additional systems are energised, Prime expects the programme to contribute to reduced carbon emissions, expand access to renewable energy, and reinforce the role commercial real estate can play in advancing practical, community-focused sustainability solutions.
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Workers prepare the ground for what will become a solar farm north of Mapleton, North Dakota, on Sept. 11, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)
FARGO (North Dakota Monitor) – A company building a solar farm west of Fargo has plans to add a battery storage facility and potentially a data center in the area.
Minnesota-based Geronimo Power says it has been working with stakeholders in Harmony Township to explore the potential development of a data center.
The company said the data center is expected to be powered by new power generation, which may include renewable energy, battery storage and natural gas.
Geronimo Power started construction on its Harmony Solar project north of Mapleton this summer.
Harmony Solar will supply about 200 megawatts of power. The company also is developing Harmony Storage, a battery site capable of storing 200 megawatts of power produced by the solar farm for up to four hours.
Geronimo Power did not provide an exact location for a data center, but the company’s website said it seeks to locate new data centers near its power projects.
Cass County Administrator Robert Wilson said he met with officials from Minnesota-based Geronimo Power on Wednesday, though specifics such as size and exact location were not discussed.
Geronimo did not provide details of the size or energy needs of a potential data center.
Data centers need large amounts of energy to keep banks of computers cool. A data center under construction at Harwood north of Fargo is expected to use as much as 280 megawatts of power at peak demand times.
Wilson said there will likely be further talks with Geronimo officials, but nothing was planned at this time. He said much of the discussion focused on road access.
“That’s really our role,” Wilson said.
He said the situation could be similar to the Applied Digital site near Harwood, where the company paid to add a turn lane to a county road and make improvements to ease traffic congestion during construction.
Wilson said zoning and permitting decisions would fall to Harmony Township officials.
Mike Blevins, zoning administrator with Harmony Township, said Thursday there are no applications submitted for a data center.
According to documents filed with the North Dakota Public Service Commission, the Harmony Township Board of Supervisors approved an amendment to its zoning ordinance on July 21, allowing for a battery energy storage system at the solar farm site.
The Public Service Commission on Wednesday set a public hearing for the battery project for 10 a.m. Oct. 23 at the Days Inn in Casselton.
Geronimo’s Harmony Storage anticipates starting construction in 2027 and being in operation by 2028. The 12-acre project about 3 miles north of Mapleton has a cost estimate of $249 million with an estimated lifespan of 30 years.
A noise assessment it filed says there are no noise standards in Cass County or with the state for battery storage projects, but the project would comply with the noise standards the state has set for wind farms.
This is the third battery storage project the commission has considered this year.
The Public Service Commission has siting authority over energy facilities such as solar farms, wind farms and battery storage sites, but not large power users such as data centers.
Data center development has become a top issue in North Dakota. A proposal for a statewide moratorium was rejected for consideration in the recent special legislative session.
Legislators debated a bill to ban nondisclosure agreements between data center developers and public officials and agencies. Lawmakers rejected the proposal, though the issue could reemerge in the 2027 legislative session that begins in January.
Opponents of data centers cite the potential for higher utility bills, water demand, noise, effects on health and loss of farmland.
Supporters say data centers provide jobs, property tax revenue and help meet growing demand for artificial intelligence.
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Photo by Tagan Trahoon/KVOE News
The Regional Development Association of East Central Kansas Board of Directors spent the majority of their monthly meeting Friday morning discussing the potential for solar energy in Lyon County.
Representatives of Evergy presented the information, specifically focusing on plans to build a solar farm near the Emporia Energy Center on Road 200. During the meeting, representatives covered a variety of topics including the scale of the project, potential safeguards and decommissioning plans once the project were to meet its end of its life.
According to the information provided, Evergy plans for the solar farm to be a 30-year project that could bring roughly $60 million in tax revenue over the course of those three decades despite a 10-year tax exemption. Evergy representatives also noted the project would create short-term jobs during the construction phase of the project and provide an additional source of energy production at a time when energy needs continue to rise.
RDA Board President Jeff Williams, following the meeting, clarified Friday’s presentation was simply for “Education” purposes, noting the six-month moratorium that remains in place on solar facilities and developments within Lyon County. That said, Williams noted energy production is a necessity for any community, saying it is the driving force for development.
Evergy representatives at Friday’s meeting declined comment to KVOE News afterward, but did note during the presentation that discussions on the project have been underway since 2022.
Should the project move forward as planned, Evergy anticipates construction could begin by mid 2027 and conclude by the second quarter of 2029.
In other business, Friday, Williams updated the board on the search for a new permanent RDA President and CEO, which has been underway for nearly three years since Chuck Scott left in early 2024.
Once a new president is found, Williams says the search may not stop there, noting they will likely begin a search for a new Vice President and he says both positions will need to be filled by individuals who can handle all levels and sectors of business, not just large industry.
Williams also says when it comes to a timeline, he is hesitant to set anything in stone, noting the last search effort never met any of the deadlines they set forth. That said, he is “hopeful” they could have someone ready to go before the start of the new year.
Also Friday, the board received an update on the city’s railroad corridor improvements project and held one executive session with no action taken.
The RDA Board of Directors will next convene in October for its monthly meeting.
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“The ROI break even point can be anywhere between 2-14 years.”
Photo Credit: iStock
One Texas homeowner considering a DIY solar setup laid out a dilemma that unfortunately sounds familiar to too many families.
With power bills that have nearly doubled over the past five years, brutal summer heat, and frequent blackouts, they didn’t even know where to start on dealing with their power problems.
The homeowner shared their situation in Reddit’s r/SolarDIY community. The original poster explained that their fully electric house typically uses 1,200-2,100 kilowatt-hours a month, averaging about 1,750, while monthly costs have risen from around $180 to roughly $350.
They wrote, “Coupled with frequent power outages when the wind blows has us looking at a whole home system.”
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The OP then proceeded to ask, “Do brands matter? Can I simply purchase a used set of panels on marketplace and then have the electrician help with the rest? What about batter[ies]?”
By the homeowner’s description, the co-op will permit a system installed by a licensed electrician, but the process includes a $500 application fee, export credits that are applied only once a year, and a $30 monthly charge even when no grid electricity is used. The property is also in Texas near latitude 32, has a central HVAC and a 260-foot submersible well pump, and has space for panels on the south and west roof slopes.
One commenter said there were too many unknowns to pin down payback more precisely, noting that “The ROI break even point can be anywhere between 2-14 years.”
Separately, one user cautioned against trying to save too much upfront, writing, “That kind of monthly usage I wouldn’t bother with used equipment if you are DIYing.”
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To get started, just answer a few questions about your home — no phone number required. Within a day or two, EnergySage will email you the best local options for your needs, and their expert advisers can help you compare quotes and pick a winner.
Still, going solar is one of the best ways to save money on home energy, especially when bills are rising as quickly as this homeowner’s have. If you’re trying to estimate costs before making a major decision, you can explore EnergySage to get free solar installation estimates and compare quotes. Those who do can save up to $10,000 on solar installations.
And solar is no longer only about environmental benefits or resale value. In places dealing with extreme heat and an unreliable grid, it can also be about keeping air conditioning, refrigeration, and water systems running when paired with a backup battery.
Solar can look very different from one household to the next, especially when outages, high power use, and utility rules are all part of the equation. For some families, that means building around batteries and backup power. For others, the big lesson is that bill savings hinge on system design and how the local utility handles excess generation.
• After a hurricane, one homeowner found solar kept the lights on when the grid failed.
💡Go deep on the latest news and trends shaping the residential solar landscape
• In Australia, a homeowner said a 20kW solar setup made blackouts invisible and bills profitable.
• Another homeowner turned excess generation into a -$500 energy bill after working with the utility.
Your backup needs, utility rules, and system sizing can shape whether the real payoff is outage protection, lower bills, or some mix of the two.
Get TCD’s free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
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Guidelines to encourage the comprehensive utilization of photovoltaic (PV) modules have jointly been released by six Chinese national authorities. These include Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Ministry of Commerce, State Administration for Market Regulation, National Financial Regulatory Administration, and National Energy Administration.
Key tasks of the guidelines include refining relevant laws, regulations, policies and standards, boosting R&D of processing technologies, broadening application channels for related products, and strengthening support for key production factors. These will help foster organized development of China's comprehensive PV module utilization sector.
By 2027, the country will further raise green production levels of PV modules, effectively increase the proportion of recycled materials in production, and refine the evaluation criteria and inspection methods of module retirement, according to the guidelines.
In addition, breakthroughs in core technologies including surface structure disassembly, efficient separation of PV laminates, and component extraction will be achieved. The comprehensive utilization of retired PV modules will be further scaled up in key sectors including metal smelting, equipment manufacturing and building materials production.
A series of technical standards for the green design and comprehensive utilization of PV modules will be developed, a batch of leading enterprises in the sector will be fostered, and the cumulative volume of PV modules processed through comprehensive utilization will reach 250,000 tonnes.
By 2030, the technological and equipment level for comprehensive utilization of PV modules will be further enhanced with significantly strengthened industrial innovation and development capabilities, the guidelines noted. Application scenarios and methods for comprehensive utilization products will continue to expand, creating a strong capacity for using end-of-life PV modules. This capacity will feature close coordination across the industrial chain, rational production capacity layout, and the ability to address large-scale retirement waves.
Efforts should be made to advance the green design and manufacturing of the PV industry, improve the ease of dismantling and recycling of PV modules, and raise the proportion of recycled materials used in production, according to the guidelines. It calls for the orderly decommissioning of end-of-life PV modules, and guides relevant stakeholders to standardize the handover and delivery of waste PV modules.
The guidelines also stipulate the promotion of green and high-efficiency dismantling and utilization, encourage the development of non-destructive dismantling technologies, and support the extraction of silver materials from the metal grid lines of crystalline silicon solar cells.
Furthermore, the guidelines advocate promoting the coordinated development of the entire industrial chain for the comprehensive utilization of PV modules, and encourage PV module manufacturers, solar power station operators, and comprehensive utilization enterprises to actively extend their industrial chains.
Efforts will be made to optimize the environment for industrial innovation and development. Management measures for comprehensive utilization of industrial resources will be accelerated to clarify the responsibilities of all parties involved in the comprehensive utilization of waste photovoltaic modules. Policy support will also be strengthened.
Qualified PV industrial parks are encouraged to develop "waste-free zones." Support will therefore be given for collaboration among PV module manufacturers, comprehensive utilization product producers, and end-users to develop exemplary green and low-carbon industrial practices within the PV sector.
Enterprises in the PV module comprehensive utilization industrial chain will be supported to strengthen cooperation with internationally advanced companies. This will involve exchanges and learning from each other in areas such as technology, talent, and management model innovation. Ultimately, it would help improve their international competitiveness.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a congratulatory letter to the Science and Technology Daily on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of its founding.
Recently, a resident of Chengdu city in southwest China used AI tools to create an intense weight-loss plan. He lost 20 kilograms in 45 days, and then fell into a sudden coma. When he was rushed to the ICU, doctors diagnosed him with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome: A combination of chronic sleep deprivation, irregular eating habits, and high-intensity exercise had disrupted his immune system.
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“It’s not about how much you produce — it’s about how much you pay (or don’t pay).”
Photo Credit: iStock
A South Texas homeowner says a carefully tracked solar-and-HVAC upgrade has made electric bills a nonissue — and the numbers suggest the project could pay for itself in about 4.5 years.
For the July-August period, the homeowner used separate charts to break down several key measures, including solar generation, lower household consumption, electricity bought from the utility, and overall system results.
In the Reddit post, the homeowner estimated the project has delivered about $3,700 in savings and could save roughly $4,900 per year, pointing to a payback period of about 4.5 years. They also said the revised tracking setup made those savings easier to understand.
Under an ERCOT buy-sell plan with Discount Power, the home purchases electricity at $0.166 per kilowatt-hour and earns $0.049 per kilowatt-hour for surplus solar exports. The system includes 32 IQ8HC units and 8 IQ8+ micros, and it does not use battery storage.
Want to go solar but not sure who to trust? EnergySage has your back with free and transparent quotes from fully vetted providers in your area.
To get started, just answer a few questions about your home — no phone number required. Within a day or two, EnergySage will email you the best options for your needs, and their expert advisers can help you compare quotes and pick a winner.
According to the homeowner, the minisplit work accounted for the biggest drop in power use, with a heat pump water heater also providing a substantial reduction.
Tools such as EnergySage let you get free solar installation estimates and compare quotes in one place.
Lower power use from a minisplit and heat pump water heater can translate to cheaper cooling and hot water month after month, while rooftop solar helps offset what a household still needs from the grid.
Even while staying connected to the grid, the homeowner said excess solar production has outweighed the home’s remaining energy costs. As a result, the household has not had a utility bill.
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Want to go solar but not sure who to trust? EnergySage has your back with free and transparent quotes from fully vetted providers that can help you save as much as $10k on installation.
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“It’s not about how much you produce — it’s about how much you pay (or don’t pay),” the original poster wrote.
Efficiency upgrades such as minisplits, heat pump water heaters, better insulation, and smart monitoring often improve solar economics by reducing the amount of electricity a home needs in the first place.
EnergySage’s free services can simplify comparing installers and equipment. Meanwhile, EnergySage’s solar map shows the average cost of a home solar panel system by state, along with details on solar panel incentives for each state. Together, these resources can help readers get the best price for rooftop solar panels and access available incentives.
Adding battery storage to a solar setup is one of the best ways to protect your home during outages, save money on energy, and go off-grid. It can also let homeowners keep more of the power they generate for use after sunset or when utility compensation changes. If you’re interested in that route, you can explore EnergySage for information about home battery storage options, including competitive installation estimates.
💡Go deep on the latest news and trends shaping the residential solar landscape
“The biggest savings was had from the Minisplit subproject. The heat pump water heater was another major consumption reduction improvement. The residual has more than been made up for by selling excess solar back to the utility — to the point where I haven’t paid a utility bill since January,” the original poster wrote.
This South Texas setup fits a common pattern: homeowners tend to get the best results when they lower energy use first, then use solar to cover what’s left. Location, timing, and battery storage can all change the savings picture.
• In Texas, timing and tax credits helped a dad secure a negative $7,000 utility bill.
• Across Australia, experts say fixing drafts before solar can unlock about $4,000 in yearly savings.
Get TCD’s free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
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HomeFirefighting
In March 2026, HelioVolta, a private company that provides technical services to safeguard renewable energy investments, published a white paper highly critical of photovoltaic (PV) rapid shutdown devices (RSD). In the document, HelioVolta identifies 74 thermal safety events since 2021 attributed to RSD (photo 1-3). According to the document, the research included inspections of more than 500 rooftop PV systems in the commercial and industrial (C&I) space.
HelioVolta states that PV systems with RSD are 66% more likely to have critical safety risks than those without module-level power equipment (MLPE). The document goes on to identify resolutions for this safety concern, including removing these devices preemptively. This, in itself, would violate National Electrical Code (NEC) expectations for systems installed after 2014. To be clear, the document recognizes this option as not viable. The report also theorizes why RSDs are so problematic, citing the following:
This report is both damning and frustrating on many levels. As a firefighter who recognizes the handwringing and assiduous work that went into creating the safety requirements afforded by RSD, it really hits home. I believe in the language captured in the NEC that speaks to the safety requirements for rooftop PV. And I understand the compounding nature of adding electrical shock hazards to an already perilous firefighter rooftop operation.
I understand that the presence of RSD does not fully eliminate the electrical hazards inherent in rooftop PV systems. But the idea of rolling back even this margin of safety for firefighters, who are often forced to work in proximity to these hazards is, in my opinion, not viable. The fire service simply cannot support the unwinding of code language designed to enhance the safety of our members.
But what the HelioVolta report reveals has merit. It is well written and well researched. They kept the guardrails narrow, limiting the research to rooftops systems in the C&I space, ensuring that the data field would be impactful. However, after reading the 17-page report, I arrived at a very different conclusion.
There may be design flaws and unforeseen gaps within the technology itself. The report also cites installation problems and difficulties within the PV industry. Both issues are reflective of a maturing process inherent with technological advancements. These are what I call “innovative blind spots.” They are predictable and manageable. And they will not be the last problem this industry will encounter. The market response to this can drive innovation without hurting the overarching concept, which is to increase safety for firefighters.
It is critical that we do not throw the baby out with the bathwater. The concept and intention of supporting firefighter safety is simply too important. Consider the Takata airbag fiasco. Problems with these safety devices resulted in the largest recall in U.S. history, affecting more than 67 million airbag inflators across more than 42 million vehicles. Globally, approximately 100 million inflators have been recalled to date. Despite this, we did not abandon the safety afforded by these devices, nor should we abandon the firefighter safety expectations captured in the NEC for rooftop PV systems.
A couple of things jump outwithin this space:
The operational expectations when working at a structure with PV energy hazards remains static (Figure1):
The work that went into this white paper will aid in ensuring that this valuable technology matures in a way that we can all benefit from. I encourage you to reach out to members of the PV industry and strengthen your understanding and relations with these trade partners. Because safety is a responsibility that is best supported through open, familiar dialogue, and prescriptive code language.
Rapid Shutdown Devices and Safety in Commercial Solar, HelioVolta, March 2026, heliovolta.com/resources/rapid-shutdown-devices-unintended-consequences.
Greene, C. G., and Granato, T., “Rapid Shutdown: The Photovoltaic Safety Feature You’ve Never Heard Of,” Fire Engineering, vol 178, issue 2, bit.ly/4cN9LMo.
CHRIS G. GREENE is a captain (ret.) with the Seattle (WA) Fire Department and a national speaker on energy response hazards. He is the creator of Seattle Fire’s Energy Response Team and assisted in designing its “Energy One” response apparatus. Greene is a contributing author to Fire Engineering for energy emergencies and creator of the “Lithium-Ion Revolution” teaching platform. He was the 2017 Seattle Fire Officer of the Year, keynote speaker at the 2024 Washington State Energy Hazards and Lithium-Ion Battery Symposium, and keynote speaker at the 2025 TEEX Electric Vehicle and Stored Energy Summit. Greene is a technical panel member for UL Research Institutes’ Fire Safety Research Institute Safety of Batteries and Electric Vehicles. He represents the IAFF on the following NFPA standards committees: NFPA 12, 30A, 850, 855, and the NFPA 800 “proposed” Battery Safety Standards Committee.
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Suniva, a US-based monocrystalline silicon solar cell manufacturer, has completed an $835 million capital raise of debt and equity from Lion Point Capital, Goldman Sachs Alternatives and five other investors. It funds the company’s second US cell plant, a 4.5 GW facility in Laurens County, South Carolina, representing an investment of about $600 million. Suniva’s existing plant in Norcross, Georgia already delivers 1 GW, so the addition takes total capacity to 5.5 GW. Completion is due in late 2027 with a full ramp in 2028, and the plant should create 564 jobs. Tony Etnyre, Chief Executive Officer of Suniva, said that the company expects to meet the growing need for a US-based source of cells.
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Submerged photovoltaics can provide a viable power source for underwater sensors, cameras, and communication systems.
Researchers at Yunnan University and Southwest United Graduate School have demonstrated functional underwater solar cells operating at a depth of 10 meters (33 feet) in the South China Sea.
The achievement smashes previous limits. Earlier attempts to harvest solar energy underwater stalled out in shallow waters under two meters deep, where sunlight is still plentiful but practical applications are scarce.
Combined with an estimated continuous operational lifespan of roughly 5.5 years, this technology could ultimately offer a reliable, long-term power source for remote oceanic systems. The study shows that submerged photovoltaics can provide a viable power source for underwater sensors, cameras, and communication systems in the future.
“Very few studies have been reported on underwater solar cells, and all of them are focused on very shallow water depths of only two meters or less, a scenario far from catering for requirements of practical application,” said Wen-Hua Zhang, the study author.
“This work presents the first functional validation of submerged solar cells practically operating at a water depth of up to about 10 meters, greatly broadening their application scope,” Zhang added.
Standard commercial silicon solar cells are designed to capture broad terrestrial sunlight, particularly red/infrared rays. Underwater, silicon cells lose most of their efficiency.
Typically, submerged solar cells struggle to harvest energy due to the rapid loss of sunlight intensity underwater, posing a hurdle for marine monitoring applications like aquaculture. To address this, Zhang’s team designed wide-bandgap solar cells optimized to capture the blue-to-orange light wavelengths that penetrate ocean waters best.
By capturing ambient light beneath the waves, underwater solar cells present a transformative solution to the long-standing power limitations of marine technology.
Generating 324 mWh of electricity in just two hours at a depth of 10 meters, these cells produce sufficient energy to recharge standard lithium-ion batteries.
Submerged solar cells provide a self-sustaining power source for environmental sensors, monitoring cameras, and communication hardware far from the coastline, doing away with costly wired connections and constant battery replacements.
Tested under simulated conditions, these specialized cells proved exceptionally durable, retaining roughly 96 percent of their efficiency after 300 days of storage. Plus, the prototype cells showed almost zero degradation over 1,160 hours at a simulated depth of 10 meters off the Weizhou Islands in the South China Sea.
“What surprised us most was so much electrical energy our large-area modules generated under real-world conditions at 10-meter water depth for only two hours,” noted Zhang.
“Moreover, we have achieved scaling from small‑area laboratory cells to large‑size modules. The combination of the laboratory investigations and the in-field experiments provides strong evidence for the operation of underwater photovoltaics,” said Zhang.
Among the future challenges, these cells must pair high durability with crystal-clear light transmission to remain effective for long durations. Also, underwater solar deployment requires overcoming extreme conditions such as corrosive salt, high pressure, and water ingress.
Next, the team plans to push deeper into the dark, testing how far down solar technology can go while laying the groundwork for standardized testing protocols for underwater photovoltaics.
The study was published in the journal Joule.
Mrigakshi is a science journalist who enjoys writing about space exploration, biology, and technological innovations. Her work has been featured in well-known publications including Nature India, Supercluster, The Weather Channel and Astronomy magazine. If you have pitches in mind, please do not hesitate to email her.
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Ohio-based solar appliance company GoSun, together with Indian manufacturer Moonrider, has launched a new electric tractor with optional solar charging.
“This new electric vehicle is engineered to replace traditional diesel-fuel tractors. The new vehicle combines high-torque electric performance with GoSun’s signature optional integrated solar charging technology, offering an eco-friendly and cost-effective solution for modern agriculture, homesteading, and property maintenance,” the companies said in a statement.
The tractor can be charged via a 220 V AC connection or an optional 1.1 kW solar array. It is equipped with a 24 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, which the companies say provides about five hours of runtime on a full charge. The solar array can provide about 1.5 hours of additional runtime on a sunny day, according to the manufacturers.
An optional power generator is also available, enabling the tractor to function as a mobile power source for electric tools.
“Small-scale farming and property management have relied on noisy, costly diesel utility vehicles for far too long,” said Patrick Sherwin, founder and CEO of GoSun. “With our new All-Electric Tractor, we are empowering farmers and land managers to literally work in the sunshine—reducing operational costs while protecting the soil and air. Electric tractors are a key part of the future of farming.”
The tractor measures 2.27 m in height, 2.78 m in length and 1.04 m in width, and weighs 1,095 kg. It features four-wheel drive and has a rated power output of 27 hp. Its hitch has a lifting capacity of 750 kg.
The vehicle also uses a constant-mesh transmission with nine forward and three reverse speeds. Its rear power take-off (PTO) delivers 22.8 hp and operates at 540/540E. Other specifications include oil-immersed brakes, a dry single clutch, a 1.58 m wheelbase, 270 mm of ground clearance and a turning radius of 1.4 m.
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The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now!
Available in print and digital – get your copy today!
Monday, October 26, 2026
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Thursday, October 7, 2026
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pv magazine USA hosts its multi-day virtual event on U.S. solar and energy storage, covering domestic manufacturing, distributed energy and the growing role of solar-plus-storage in meeting AI-driven power demand.
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Minnesota-based Excelsior Energy Capital and global energy giant Enel have completed a $760 million transaction that sees the latter company acquiring two large solar projects from the former, totaling 810 MW DC in capacity.
The larger of the two sites is the 682 MW DC (525 MW AC) Faraday solar plant in Utah County, Utah, which reached commercial operation in September 2025 and is backed by a 20-year power purchase agreement with PacifiCorp under the Schedule 34 green energy tariff from Rocky Mountain Power (RMP). Through the tariff, the facility’s energy output is purchased by Meta to offset its energy usage in RMP territory.
The second facility is the 127 MW DC (100 MW AC) Skyhawk solar plant in Obion County, Tennessee, which has been in commercial operation since 2023 and is backed by a long-term power purchase agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority. Similar to the Faraday Solar arrangement with Meta in Utah, the electricity and environmental attributes from Skyhawk Solar are delivered to Google through the TVA Green Invest program.
The two solar projects are part of a larger 1+ GW portfolio sale between the two companies that also includes 205 MW in wind capacity. A release from Enel states that the company expects to close the acquisition of the wind capacity in the fourth quarter, pending regulatory approvals.
Although the release does not name a specific facility included in the portfolio, the Excelsior Energy Capital website lists the 204.7 MW White Creek Wind project as a current holding.
The transaction will see two of Excelsior’s funds selling their full interest in the plants. Excelsior co-founder and partner Alex Ellis had this to say about the transaction:
“The sale of Faraday and Skyhawk marks an important milestone for Excelsior. This transaction reflects our continued progress in realizing value and returning capital to our investors and it underscores the strength of the contracted renewable infrastructure we build, with a focus on assets backed by strong counterparties and long-term power purchase agreements. This is our largest exit to date, and it positions us well as we continue to grow the Excelsior Energy Capital portfolio.”
The total portfolio included in the sale adds a significant new tranche of capacity to Enel’s North American operations. Including the new capacity, the company’s stateside footprint features 13 GW of wind, solar and storage facilities, and its global renewables arm, Enel Green Power, manages a mix of 68 GW in capacity across the wind, solar, energy storage, geothermal and hydroelectric power sectors.
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The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now!
Available in print and digital – get your copy today!
Monday, October 26, 2026
10:30 am – 11:30 am CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
A two-day conference in Austin, Texas, bringing together leaders in US solar manufacturing, equipment specification, and factory execution.
Thursday, October 7, 2026
11:00 am – 12:30 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
pv magazine USA hosts its multi-day virtual event on U.S. solar and energy storage, covering domestic manufacturing, distributed energy and the growing role of solar-plus-storage in meeting AI-driven power demand.
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US Commerce Department finalizes steep duties on solar imports from India, Indonesia, Laos Reuters
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“With 2 and our current weather in the 100 degrees, I run out of battery by midnight powering only my house and AC.”
Photo Credit: iStock
A California homeowner trying to make sense of a massive electric bill sparked a revealing debate over what solar savings can actually look like under Los Angeles Department of Water and Power rules.
In a Reddit post, the San Fernando Valley resident estimated their home uses about 36,000 kilowatt-hours each year. They said roughly 16,000 kWh of that comes from charging two EVs and that their annual electric costs total around $12,400.
They wrote, “Modeled switching to TOU (R-1B) instead of staying tiered — even in a pessimistic ‘lots of afternoon AC usage’ scenario, TOU comes out several thousand dollars a year cheaper than tiered, given how much Tier 3 usage I’m carrying.”
Using Tesla‘s online configurator, the homeowner was quoted $83,499 cash for a 100% offset system made up of 57 panels, 23.94 kilowatts of solar, and two Powerwall 3 batteries.
Want to go solar but not sure who to trust? EnergySage has your back with free and transparent quotes from fully vetted providers in your area.
To get started, just answer a few questions about your home — no phone number required. Within a day or two, EnergySage will email you the best options for your needs, and their expert advisers can help you compare quotes and pick a winner.
People in the comments generally thought the proposed solar size was reasonable for that level of usage, but many were skeptical that two batteries would be enough.
Part of that discussion centered on LADWP’s rate design. Commenters noted that the utility still uses full retail-rate net metering, so exported solar can provide more favorable bill credits than under NEM 3.0-style policies used by some other California utilities.
That matters most for homes with very high usage in expensive upper tiers, since solar can then offset some of the costliest electricity on the bill and potentially speed up payback.
Services such as EnergySage let you get free solar installation estimates and compare quotes before committing.
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Want to go solar but not sure who to trust? EnergySage has your back with free and transparent quotes from fully vetted providers that can help you save as much as $10k on installation.
To get started, just answer a few questions about your home — no phone number required. Within a day or two, EnergySage will email you the best local options for your needs, and their expert advisers can help you compare quotes and pick a winner.
In some cases, simply switching rate plans can cut costs before panels are even installed.
Commenters also emphasized that adding solar does not automatically place LADWP customers on time-of-use billing. Homeowners who want TOU must request the change themselves.
Examples from other LADWP customers varied. One Redditor with a smaller system said they were on pace for about a five-year payback with the federal tax credit, while another said their return-on-investment estimate improved from 11.5 years to 7.6 years as rate hikes and EV charging pushed more of their consumption into expensive tiers that solar could offset.
Battery sizing also came up.
💡Go deep on the latest news and trends shaping the residential solar landscape
One commenter with two Powerwall 3 units said, “With 2 and our current weather in the 100 degrees, I run out of battery by midnight powering only my house and AC.”
Several commenters said whole-home backup for a large house with pool equipment, heavy air conditioning use, and EV charging would likely mean needing three or four batteries rather than two. They also pointed to possible permitting and fire-spacing complications for systems above 10 kilowatts.
For households with unusually high electricity use, the first step is to break down where that power is going and how the utility bills it.
In this situation, commenters mostly favored keeping EV charging on the main meter instead of shifting it to LADWP’s separate discounted EV meter, because rooftop solar can then offset those kilowatt-hours.
With EnergySage’s help, the average person can save up to $10,000 on solar purchases and installations. You can also use EnergySage’s solar map, which shows the average cost of a home solar panel system by state, along with details on solar panel incentives for each state. Together, these resources can help readers get the best price for rooftop solar panels and access available incentives.
Adding battery storage to a solar setup is one of the best ways to protect your home during outages, save money on energy, and go off-grid. It can also help households keep critical appliances and cooling running when the grid goes down. Homeowners can explore EnergySage for information about home battery storage options, including competitive installation estimates.
As one commenter put it, “You absolutely need more than 2 pw3s.”
Another commenter said, “TOU switching is not much of a hassle; you simply request it, and they will come do it. Solar/NEM will not switch you to TOU on its own; you specifically have to request TOU at LADWP.”
Whether two Powerwalls can handle a high-usage Los Angeles home raises bigger questions: battery capacity, peak-rate timing, and the real cost of adding more equipment. The articles below dig into Tesla‘s growing storage footprint, the California cooling demand that can send bills soaring, and the incentives that may help trim upfront costs.
• Tesla has already surpassed half a million installations worldwide, underscoring how mainstream home batteries have become.
• In Los Angeles, the home of the future pairs efficient design with lower household energy demand.
• Across California, surging energy bills can add hundreds when afternoon air-conditioning demand spikes.
• In Queensland, homeowners can shave thousands off a Tesla Powerwall purchase through a government rebate.
• Federal policy could deliver $14,000 in home upgrades for households cutting energy use.
If you’re comparing solar panels, TOU rates, and backup batteries, these stories give a more grounded sense of both the possible savings and the upfront bill.
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Published 3:36 pm Friday, September 11, 2026
By Pamela Sleezer
A Missouri-based company has confirmed it is considering building a data center near Coffey Road in Moss Bluff.
Representatives for Azimuth Renewables, headquartered in St. Louis, confirmed that the company is considering building a data center on 1,100 acres of land that it has an option to purchase.
Representatives said plans are still in the early stages and that nothing firm has been decided yet.
The news comes as Moss Bluff residents and local elected officials have launched a firm opposition to a proposed solar farm in the same area.
California-based Orion Renewable Energy Group intends to request a variance from the Calcasieu Parish Planning and Zoning Board to build its proposed 4,700-acre solar farm that would include up to 2.5 million solar panels.
The proposed site is currently zoned as Agricultural and would require the committee approve a variance to allow industrial development, which is exactly what Azimuth officials will have to do if they choose to move forward with a data center.
While there has been no proven connection between the solar farm and data center, Louisiana State Rep. Brett Geymann (R-Lake Charles) says the news of the considered data center has added fueled to the fight against the solar farm.
“It absolutely has elevated the opposition to (the solar farm), because that would almost certainly open a gateway for the data center, if it happens,” he said.
This week, State Rep. Dewith Carrier (R-Oakdale), Chuck Owen (R-Rosepine), and Sen. Jeremy Stine (R-Lake Charles) added their signatures to a letter to the planning and zoning board members imploring them to deny the rezoning variance request.
“This decision by the board will have consequences for decades and will set a precedent for future industrial variance applications — like a data center,” Geymann said. “Once you let one industrial development in the neighborhood, it will be hard to deny any others that come behind it.”
Sources tell the American Press Orion’s variance request could go before the planning and zoning panel as early as November.
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