Author: solarenergy

Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) owner-operator Zenobē has achieved financial close for its 200MW/800Mh Coalburn project in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.The four-hour Coalburn BESS was approved last April. The financing comes from a group of international lenders, including Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW), ABN Amro, Mizuho and Siemens Financial Services. All financiers were also participants Zenobē’s 400MW battery project in Eccles.Canadian Solar’s e-STORAGE energy storage unit will supply the battery systems and Omexom will balance the plant operations. Zenobē signed one 15-year toll agreement with Drax for the project at the beginning of the year. The Coalburn BESS is the first four-hour UK…

The energy transition has never been purely a technological challenge. As our industries grow and become more interconnected, many of the barriers we face today are no longer purely technical, but human. At the same time, leaders are dealing with accelerating change, growing complexity and the rapid integration of artificial intelligence into organizations. Success increasingly depends on our ability to collaborate across disciplines, generations and areas of expertise. Yet many leadership models have been built for a more predictable world. The challenge is becoming increasingly clear: you cannot lead tomorrow with yesterday’s playbook. When technical excellence is no longer enough…

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced an investment package at the G7 summit, including £1.3 billion to support the UK’s energy storage.More than £300 million comes from Atri Energy Transition, an India-based company focused on the deployment of long-term energy storage (LDES). Investments have been made before £12.5 million to Invinity Energy Systems, which develops non-lithium LDES projects, and has contributed to a funding round for flow battery startup Quino Energy. Atri’s contribution will finance the development of large-scale battery storage and advanced manufacturing, the government said.A £1 billion investment from French infrastructure investor InfraVia Capital Partners is aimed…

Nexamp and TurningPoint Energy have commissioned two community solar projects in Minonk, Illinois, on a reclaimed former coal mine in Woodford County. The two Minonk community solar projects have a combined capacity of 9.8 MW over approximately 40 acres, sending energy directly to the ComEd grid. The projects are built over a former mine that extracted from the Colchester Coal Seam for around 75 years in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They are certified brownfield sites under the Illinois Shines program, which earns credits for returning previously disturbed land to productive use. They also represent the first solar…

On May 19, 2026, the Massachusetts Dept. of Public Utilities (DPU) has approved a complete redesign of the Commonwealth’s primary solar incentive program, Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART), changing how solar projects will be financed, how much ratepayers will pay and how quickly new solar capacity can come online. Solar developers, taxpayers and clean energy observers should all pay attention. What has changed? The DPU has approved two updated model tariffs without change: (i) a revised SMART 2.0 provision and (ii) a new SMART 3.0 provision. SMART 3.0 is the bigger story because it makes fundamental changes to the way…

By Martin McConnell June 17, 2026 The city of Santa Barbara, California has a new EV fast charging station, courtesy of Volkswagen subsidiary and charging solutions company Make America electric. Located on the site of a former one Greyhound bus station in downtown Santa Barbara, the charging station has a series of 20 “hyper-fast” chargers, capable of delivering a power of 350 kW. At peak performance, that could provide up to 20 miles of driving range for EVs per minute, provided those EVs accept high-power charging options. In addition, the charging station includes a 1.9 MW battery energy storage system…

By Martin McConnell June 18, 2026 Aypa power and the Salt River Project (SRP) nonprofit says its Fronton Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) unit has reached power in Arizona. The 250 MW/1 GWh BESS system, located in Mesa’s Elliot Road Technology Corridor, is one of the largest in the Grand Canyon State. The unit has enough energy capacity to power up to 56,250 homes in the Salt River Valley, and is prepared for sustained load growth as the Phoenix metropolitan area remains one of the fastest growing population centers in the US. “The addition of new battery energy storage resources…

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) found that solar energy takes up just 0.07% of U.S. farmland. an interactive map the organization published today. The new tool comes amid Farm Bill negotiations in Congress and increasing misinformation and targeted research surrounding solar energy development and agricultural land use. The map shows that solar energy takes up a small portion of U.S. farmland, especially compared to suburban sprawl and recreational use. Across the country, many solar projects support dual-use agricultural practices such as grazing and pollinator habitats. “America depends on our lands to grow our food, build our communities and power…

APsystems will showcase its full portfolio of energy storage solutions at the 2026 edition of Intersolar Europe in Munich, highlighting a comprehensive ecosystem designed to support evolving energy needs for micro-site (DIY), residential and C&I applications.Building on its leadership in microinverter technology, the company continues to expand its integrated solar and storage offering, delivering complete solutions that combine hardware, intelligent energy management and system-level integration across applications.For DIY and micro-site applications, plug-and-play solutions will be on display, including the Lake 6 AC-coupled energy storage system, a compact 6 kWh product designed for solar energy on balconies. With a tool-free installation,…

Iran is working on deploying 15 GW of small-scale solar power plants. According to reports published by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Iran’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Organization (SATBA) has submitted a proposal to the government for a program that aims to rapidly deploy 15 GW of small-scale power plants in the domestic, commercial and agricultural solar energy sectors. SATBA CEO Mohsen Tarztalab told the news agency that both domestic production and imports of equipment should be pursued to enable the rapid installation of small solar systems. He also said a proposal has been submitted to the government…