Author: solarenergy
Net zero and energy policy were on the ballot at last month’s local elections, even if it wasn’t explicit. Reform UK won seats in over 1,500 councils across the country, followed in gains by the Green party. The traditional parties, Labour and the Conservatives, were hammered, losing over 1,498 and 563 councillors, respectively. Though local elections do not accurately predict a general election, Reform UK’s swing follows a year at the head of YouGov’s voter intention opinion polls. Among the things the election results do indicate is that the political climate and rhetoric in the UK around net zero, climate change…
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) this week finished parts of its community solar program that solar advocates continue to describe as “unworkable and doomed to failure.” “California remains committed to providing clean energy options for all customers,” said CPUC President John Reynolds. “Our decision ensures that competitive community solar programs grow responsibly, balancing affordability, equity and grid reliability.” AB 2316, which was signed into law in September 2022, required large utilities serving more than 100,000 customers to create and implement programs that “enable ratepayers to directly participate in off-site electric generating facilities that utilize eligible renewable energy sources,” such…
The UK High Court has dismissed a legal challenge brought by a local resident against independent power producer (IPP) BOOM Power, which was granted planning permission to build the 29.7MW Woolley solar PV project in Wakefield, West Yorkshire.The resident, identified in court documents as ‘Lang J.’, argued that the process by which the local planning authority (LPA) granted planning permission in August 2025 – namely disagreeing with an assessment by the design and conservation officer that local views would be ‘spoiled’ by the installation of solar panels – was flawed.However, Sir Tim Kerr, a High Court judge, wrote in his…
The Bangladesh government on Thursday announced a major policy package to accelerate solar energy development, including a zero percent tax rate for the solar energy sector until 2035. In addition, a 5% tax credit is provided on payments made on consumers’ solar bills. The initiative aims to attract investment in the solar energy sector as part of the government’s plan to achieve 20% of total electricity demand from renewable energy sources by 2030, and between 30% and 50% from clean energy by 2050. Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, while presenting the national budget in Parliament on Thursday, announced a…
By Martin McConnell June 11, 2026 Discover clean energy has begun construction on Trail Road BESS in Ottawa, also home to the new Canadian base, where the team moved on June 9. Trail Road BESS is a storage location for 150 MW / 600 MWh lithium iron phosphate batteries and is also a joint venture with Algonquins from the Pikwàkanagàn First Nation. The Scout team expects the project to come online sometime in 2027, when it will provide the Canadian capital with increased capacity and network reliability. Michael Rucker, founder and CEO of Scout, says in addition to energy, the…
By Martin McConnell June 11, 2026 Improve infrastructure And ArcLight Capital Partners cut the ribbon on the Prospect Power battery system in northern Virginia. The 150 MW/600 MWh project, located in the City of Timberville, represents the largest standalone battery system in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and in PJM Interconnection The electricity coordination region of 13 states as a whole. The system, originally developed by Fast current energycomes online at a pivotal time in Virginia’s energy history, as the Old Dominion’s energy needs continue to rise thanks to the rise of AI data centers. ArcLight management partner Angelo Acconcia says…
The UK National Energy System Operator (NESO) has confirmed that more than half of renewable energy projects due to come online before 2030 now have fixed grid connections offers.According to the announcement, 58% of energy projects at the transmission and distribution level have received connection offers. This amounts to 37 GW of new electricity generation capacity that will come online in 2030. Of the 1,223 projects in Gate 2 Phase 1, developers on 713 projects now know when and where they will connect, and what network upgrades are needed to make this possible. With that certainty, projects can progress and…
The document, Battery Energy Storage Systems Explored, addresses some of the most frequently asked questions surrounding grid-scale battery projects, covering topics such as fire safety, environmental impacts, land use, noise, cybersecurity and emergency planning. According to ESN, 108 GW of new battery storage capacity was deployed globally in 2025, representing a 40% increase year-on-year. In Britain, around 2 GW of new BESS capacity became commercially operational during the year, generating an estimated £1.2 billion in investment. ESN said the guide has been developed to provide clear, evidence-based information as battery storage plays an increasingly important role in supporting the UK’s…
End of 2025 BloombergNEF (BNEF) projected that 2026 would be the first year of decline in solar panel installation in twenty years. From the presentation at SNEC 2026 in Shanghai, with Chinese capacity installations at this point slowing down significantly compared to the previous year, it seems that this projection could become reality. BNEF solar analyst Jenny Chase examined why the ongoing wars are having a limited effect on solar energy, and what could pull the solar panel industry out of the doldrums. Source: China National Energy Association via Bloomberg Although there are several energy wars going on (Ukraine and…
By Contributing Author June 11, 2026 Storage has been moved from add-on to anchor. Here’s how to build the muscle to develop and install commercial battery projects. By Tim Montague | For much of the past decade, C&I solar installers have viewed battery storage as a value-add. That era is over. In 2026, storage will become THE DEAL at a growing number of C&I locations, and in areas with high demand for charging points, the battery often provides more economic value than the PV array above it. Developing these projects yourself, finding the customer, structuring the financing and controlling the…