05 Haz, 2026

Virginia report finds 16% of resi solar projects that begin permitting process are abandoned

The Environment Virginia Research & Policy Center released a new report, “A 21st-Century Permitting Regime for Rooftop Solar and Home Batteries in Virginia,” at the Virginia Clean Energy Summit. The report, co-authored with Permit Power and the Chesapeake Solar and Storage Association (CHESSA), details the current state of solar permitting in Virginia. As energy demand… […]

Xcel Energy proposes 200-MW distributed battery storage network across Minnesota

Xcel Energy released a new proposal to build out a battery storage network across Minnesota, optimizing the state’s energy grid and helping the company meet the growing electricity needs of the communities it serves. Under its Capacity*Connect proposal, Xcel Energy will install up to 200 MW of battery storage resources at strategic locations on the… […]

Chest physicians say climate change is bad for lung health, so they install solar on HQ

Hardt Electric has completed an installation of Maxeon Solar panels at the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) headquarters in Glenview, Illinois. As an organization dedicated to improving lung health worldwide, CHEST has long recognized the link between climate change, air quality and respiratory wellness. CHEST’s decision to invest in renewable energy reflects its commitment… […]

District court rules renewable energy must be considered in Puerto Rico energy rebuild

Conservation and community groups have won a legal challenge to federal plans to spend billions of dollars to rebuild Puerto Rico’s electric grid back to the centralized, fossil fuel-dependent status quo instead of investing post-disaster funding in distributed renewable energy. Thursday’s ruling by the U.S. District Court in Puerto Rico holds that the Federal Emergency… […]

Burned by the federal government, solar advocates turn focus to state policy

The Trump Administration’s attack on renewables has rocked the solar industry this year. The full impact of anti-solar legislation and executive orders may not be understood until 2026, when the residential tax credit ends, material restrictions begin and start-construction deadlines arrive for the large-scale ITC. Instead of abandoning all hope, solar advocates are shifting focus… […]

Scientists break Shockley-Queisser efficiency limit for silicon solar cell in experiment

A Chinese-US research group claims to have achieved a power conversion efficiency of over 50% in an n-type single-junction solar cell by inhibiting light conversion to heat at extremely low temperatures. The result was achieved at temperatures of 30-50 Kelvin, which are a few tens of degrees above absolute zero. From pv magazine Global Researchers […]

Hounen Solar showcases solar modules for the US market

Hounen’s 1 GW facility in South Carolina has been in continuous operation for three years, according to Bill Bentley, Sales Manager at Hounen. The company will also introduce advanced solar technologies including HJT and tandem. At RE+ 2025, Hounen Solar showcased multiple products specifically targeted at the US market: a 420-watt residential module, a 550-watt […]

Domestic content, TPO-readiness take center stage at RE+ 2025 solar and storage trade show

Booths across the show floor in Las Vegas, Nevada touted the occupants’ onshoring bona fides. Despite headwinds from shifting federal policy, the 2025 RE+ conference was nearly as big as ever. More than 37,000 attendees walked the halls of the Venetian Expo Center and Caesar’s Forum in Las Vegas during the event. One symbol of […]