Author: solarenergy

A US solar industry group has laid out a nine-point policy agenda calling on New York City’s new mayor to accelerate the deployment of rooftop solar and batteries to address risks to grid reliability, energy costs and climate goals. December 30, 2025 William Driscoll By pv magazine USA The New York Solar Energy Industries Association did just that recommended nine ways for the administration of newly elected New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to accelerate the deployment of solar and storage in the city, in a “solar and storage playbook.” The playbook’s main proposal is for the city of 8.5…

Buried in the reddish soil of southern China lies latent power: one of the largest clusters of crucial rare earth elements is being mined 24 hours a day by a secretive and heavily guarded industry. The hills of Jiangxi province are home to most of China’s rare earth mines. The materials are used in a wide range of products, including smartphones and missile guidance technology. The booming industry is closely protected by Chinese authorities and media access is rarely granted. During a rare visit to the region last month, AFP journalists were followed and tailed by minders who refused to…

By SB staff December 29, 2025 Solar design software provider Solesca has released a new AI-powered system aimed at solving technical challenges on roofs. The company’s ARGUS 1.0 (Automated Recognition and Geometric Understanding System) is an in-house computer vision engine designed to detect, classify and report on rooftop obstacles in seconds. ARGUS brings AI automation to commercial solar. Named after a figure from Greek mythology, Argus was the giant who never slept, a symbol of ceaseless vigilance. Solesca’s ARGUS was created to bring that same ruthless precision to the design workflows of solar projects. By automatically scanning images and generating…

Agrivoltaic project developer Okovate Sustainable Energy has acquired the assets of Fundusola modeling platform born from Stanford University and Carnegie Mellon. This acquisition, supported by support from Okovate of The Schmidt Family Foundation, brings data-driven precision to the co-location of solar and agriculture. An agrivoltaic installation. Credit: Green Development Okovate is now integrating Fundusol’s proprietary modeling engine – an advanced technology stack designed to simulate the complex interactions between solar panel architecture and crop phenology – directly into its development pipeline. The acquisition allows Okovate to go beyond traditional development and become a technical data partner for the agricultural community.…

CATL announced that it expects a new trend where “sodium and lithium batteries shine brightly together.” December 29, 2025 Tristan Rayner By ESS news Chinese battery giant CATL has outlined broader and more widespread deployment of its range of sodium-ion batteries across multiple sectors, including battery storage. According to Chinese media reports, CATL confirmed its 2026 plans for its sodium ion batteries (SIBs) at its supplier conference in Ningde, Fujian Province of China, held on December 28, 2025. They include an expansion of applications to include energy storage, plus use in battery swapping systems, passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles. CATL…

By Brad Kramer December 29, 2025 This edition of Projects weekly highlights the CPV Backbone Solar project, a 160 MW facility developed by a subsidiary of Competitive Power Ventures (CPV) that has launched in Maryland. Additionally, BorderPlex Digital Assets plans to build one of the largest renewable energy facilities in New Mexico with the development of the 1 GW Project Green. And in M&A news, Altus Power has purchased a 234 MW portfolio of solar generation and storage assets in 18 states from investment firm Greenbacker, while Solar EPC acquired Moss Ellison Construction to strengthen its presence in Central Florida.…

Silver prices rose to record levels last week, surpassing $80 an ounce, after China said it plans to restrict silver exports in 2026. December 29, 2025 Patrick Jowett The price of silver has skyrocketed over the past week, reaching an all-time high of $83.62 per ounce on December 28. Silver prices rose for much of 2025, reaching a ten-year high of $44.86 per ounce in September. For comparison, the average silver price in 2024 was $28.27 per ounce. The upward trajectory has accelerated over the past week, with the price of silver reaching $70 for the first time in history…

China has brought online a 1GW offshore solar power plant off the coast of Dongying, Shandong province, combining PV with energy storage and aquaculture in what is now the world’s largest open sea solar project in commercial operation. December 29, 2025 Vincent Shaw China has launched the 1 GW HG14 offshore PV project, developed by Guohua Investment under China Energy Investment Corp. (CHN Energy), off the coast of Dongying, Shandong Province, fully commissioned. The plant reached full grid capacity at the end of December 2025 and covers approximately 1,223 hectares of shallow coastal waters, 8 km offshore, with a depth…

By SB staff December 29, 2025 Data shows that agricultural voltaic energy benefits farmers by increasing yields and reducing water consumption, while encouraging rural participation in the renewable energy transition. In the United States, energy demand is rising after decades of stagnant growth, driven by electrification efforts, data centers and artificial intelligence. As demand increases, the economy continues to favor wind and solar energy, which consistently rival gas and coal in terms of affordability. As rural communities look to increase renewable energy, a unique opportunity presents itself. Flat, sunny and easily accessible land that is ideal for solar parks is…

Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has announced that it will acquire Intersect, a sustainable energy developer. Google already owns a minority stake in Intersect van a previously announced financing round, but will buy the company for $4.75 billion in cash, plus the assumption of debt. The Oberon Solar + Storage project completed by Intersect Power in 2023. The acquisition will allow Google to more quickly bring more electricity generation capacity online for the development of its data centers. Included in the transaction are Intersect’s team and several gigawatts of energy and data center projects in development or under construction…