Author: solarenergy
Eskom Green, the renewable energy arm of South African electricity company Eskom, is building a 75 MW solar project in the country’s Free State province. The Lethabo solar power plant, worth ZAR1.2 billion ($73.9 million), is expected to generate approximately 147 GWh of electricity annually upon completion, equivalent to the power required for an estimated 60,000 households. Plans for the project were first announced in April 2024. South Africa’s National Energy Regulator granted Eskom a license for the project, which will be located near the 3.7 GW Lethabo power station, in November 2024. A statement from Eskom said the start…
From the magazine Utility-scale solar projects are larger, interconnections are slower, and engineering decisions must anticipate regulations and supply chains years in advance. At the CT Solar Platform in Snyder, Texas – a 1.6 GW AC single-site development – the first phase, CT Solar One (110 MW AC), has been a testing ground for integrating civil design, BOS optimization and domestic content strategy. Levona Renewables led the development and engineering of the project and CEO Fernando Queiroz shares some key learnings. At utility-scale sites like this one in Snyder, Texas, micro-terrain is more important than contour lines. The CT Solar…
Headquarters in Great Britain JCB launched its first hydrogen backhoe loader, part of its £100 million ($135 million) investment in hydrogen engine technology. “The 3CX Hydrogen trio is powered by a 55 kW version of the JCB hydrogen engine. The machine is equipped with three hydrogen tanks, made of composite material and mounted on the cab roof, which at a pressure of 350 bar provide sufficient storage capacity to last a full working day,” the company, which describes itself as the world’s largest manufacturer of backhoe loaders, said in an emailed statement. According to JCB, the 55 kW hydrogen engine…
India installed 2.7 GW of rooftop solar capacity in the first quarter (Q1) of 2026, compared to 2.2 GW in Q4 2025 and 1.2 GW in Q1 2025, according to the recently published Mercom India Research report Q1 2026 India Rooftop Solar Market Report. Installations during the quarter were largely driven by the PM Surya Ghar programme, supported by grant-supported systems, simplified approval processes and increasing implementation support at the state level. The residential segment accounted for 82% of total rooftop solar installations in the first quarter of 2026. The industrial, commercial and government segments contributed approximately 11%, 7% and…
Independent solar and battery storage installer Sopoco has supplied a 1.1MW battery energy storage system (BESS) installation for aviation company AJW Group in West Sussex.Worthing-based Sopoco installed five 229 kWh Sungrow PowerStack units at the facility, which it says is the “largest power stack battery installation in Britain to date”. The BESS will store and dissipate energy generated by an on-site solar system.AJW Group, which provides aviation maintenance and repair, requires 24-hour operations and has significant energy demand. In 2024, the company installed a rooftop PV system, generating 800,000 kWh annually, accounting for 55% of AJW’s UK business.According to Sopoco…
The U.S. International Trade Commission voted to maintain trade protections for crystalline silicon photovoltaic products. The targeted trade sanctions “counter foreign market distortions” by applying anti-dumping duties on underpriced imports and countervailing duties to offset foreign government subsidies. The initial duties established in the original 2014 investigations reached rates as high as 165% for certain Chinese entities and 44% for Taiwanese exporters, although annual administrative investigations often adjust the exact assessment margins for individual manufacturers. Members of the Commission determined that repealing these current anti-dumping and countervailing duties on Chinese solar imports, in addition to the anti-dumping duty on Taiwanese…
By Martin McConnell May 28, 2026 Commercial solar energy company with multiple tenants King Energy has completed construction of its new solar facility at the California shopping center The Shoppes at Chino Hills. Located approximately 30 miles from Los Angeles in the suburb of Chino Hills, the new solar project is a milestone for the property, its tenants and the community, King Energy says. The company adds that the project is a multi-array solar system expressly designed to maximize on-site renewable energy generation at five different points on the property. Rob Porter, CCO of King Energy, says the five-point interconnection…
New York’s recently finalized 2027 budget prioritizes building new solar and updating the electric grid. Gov. Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature have approved the state budget for fiscal year 2027, which will include $200 million in funding for NYSERDAs. NY-Sun rooftop and community solar program, and it will also invest in modernizing the electric grid to streamline utility interconnections. A commercial solar installation in New York. Credit: GreenSpark “New York’s commitment to expanding rooftop and community solar sends a strong message that distributed energy is essential to building a more affordable, reliable and resilient electric grid,” said…
UK government figures show that 22,733 new solar PV installations were installed in April this year, bringing total solar capacity to 22.3 GW.The added 107 MW in April 2026 contributed to an increase of 11.2% since April 2025, with 2.3 GW of additional solar capacity over twelve months. Figures published by the government today also show that nine of the ten best performing months for solar came last year, after In March, Britain reached more than 2 million installations.More than 50% of the new installations added in April 2026 were residential rooftop PV systems. Government research shows that of a…
On Wednesday, the Argentine government opened the technical envelopes for the national and international energy storage tender known as Alma SADI, which was launched in March. The initiative aims to integrate battery energy storage systems (BESS) at critical nodes in the NOA, NEA, Central, Litoral, Cuyo and Buenos Aires regions (excluding the AMBA). It is designed to strengthen the reliability of the Argentine Interconnection System (SADI) and reduce service disruptions, especially during peak periods. A total of 235 projects were submitted by 37 companies, representing 8,335 MW of proposed capacity, which is approximately 12 times (+1,090%) than the 700 MW…