Also on the rise: Five solar businesses added to forced labor list, banned from U.S. entry. BLM seeks public’s input for 700 MW solar, energy storage center in Arizona. And more.

The proposed Ranegras Plains Energy Center is a 700 MW solar facility and energy storage system in Arizona.

Solar energy will satisfy more than 50% of global energy demand within a decade according to a new modeling tool that also predicts solar costs will continue falling by 10% a year.

The Martin County Solar Project was developed by Savion and Edelen Renewables on a 1,200 acre former mountaintop coal mine, employing over 300 during construction.

Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources offered a 420-acre parcel of “less than pristine” land to a solar developer to expand a nearby project. This sparked backlash from local politicians, who called the land management department “rotten to its core,” and prompted the developer to back away from the expansion.

ES Foundry, a U.S.-owned cell manufacturer based in South Carolina, secured its first contract with top-tier solar module maker.

Solar panel supply is no issue, but other installation bottlenecks have emerged, said a report from Clean Energy Associates.

Also on the rise: Jackery debuts Solar Roof Tile at CES 2025. Majority woman-owned developer begins construction on solar, battery facility in Nevada. And more.

The Michigan-based manufacturer supplies solar-grade polysilicon used in the manufacturing of mono-crystalline ingots and wafers used in solar cells.

The modules will be made in Silfab Solar’s upcoming facility in South Carolina.

Five major risks are on the horizon, said Clean Energy Associates.

Wholesale electricity prices were lower in 2024 than 2023, with less price volatility, as solar and battery energy storage expands, and lower natural gas prices stabilize major markets in the U.S.

Utility projects supported by these loans are expected to add much-needed transmission capacity by building new transmission lines, reconductoring existing lines and implementing grid-enhancing technologies that will get more out of existing grid.

Sunairio has launched software that features high-resolution historical climate data and high-resolution future climate models to provide insights into site-specific risks. It recently raised venture capital to expand into new markets for its solar and wind portfolio-oriented software.

As a global company that specializes in electrification and automation, ABB’s acquisition of Lumin and Gamesa Electric’s inverter and converter segment, expands its repertoire serving the buildout of clean energy technologies.

Developed at the U. S. Ames National Laboratory, the novel magnetocaloric heat pump utilizes gadolinium as the working medium and reportedly matches current vapor-compression heat pumps for weight, cost, and performance. The system is based on a packed-particle bed active magnetic regenerator, a magnetic source composed of permanent magnets and high permeability magnetic steel.

Virtual power plant capacity must double to meet demand, the Department of Energy said in its latest report on virtual power plants.

Conventional silicon solar cells degrade rapidly in space, and gallium arsenide cells are heavy and inflexible. Research from the University of Michigan suggests carbon-based solar cells could be a good fit for space applications.

Scientists have studied the impact wildfires have on the availability of direct normal irradiance and global horizontal irradiance. The research found that direct irradiance is more sensitive to smoke than the PV-relevant global horizontal irradiance.

Berkeley Lab’s CalFlexHub says global adoption of an improved communications method can foster a transition from event-based demand response to continuous price-based demand flexibility—increasing demand for renewable power at sunny and windy times.