United States

As the Illinois Shines program approaches 4 GW of approved capacity, it’s offering a closer look at one special traditional community solar installation with agrivoltaic and pollinator-friendly attributes.

The May 1 go-live of the Extended Day-Ahead Market (EDAM) marks the first time Western utilities can coordinate large-scale solar and storage resources 24 hours in advance, a move projected to significantly slash curtailment and boost regional reliability.

A single benchmark no longer exists. In some cases, charging speed is what matters; in others, it is energy density, and in still others, cost and scalability. In other words, the battery is ceasing to be a simple component. It is becoming the transversal energy infrastructure of the next industrial cycle. And those who can control not only the technology but also production, integration, and the grid will have an advantage that will be difficult to recover.

Thin-film manufacturer First Solar delivered a robust start to 2026, posting record first-quarter revenue of $1.04 billion and maintaining its full-year outlook despite signaling a seasonal dip in second-quarter profitability.

Salt River Project and NextEra Energy Resources have signed a power purchase agreement for 3,000 MW of solar and 1,000 MW of battery storage to be built in Arizona through 2027.

The California-based nonprofit, backed by a $28 million state energy commission grant, aims to provide an open-access pilot manufacturing line for battery startups to scale their technologies without the need to raise massive amounts of capital.

Solar development occupies a tiny fraction of U.S. farmland. Farmers shouldn’t be blocked by restrictive local zoning boards to install onsite solar, said the Solar Energy Industries Association.

The Michigan city’s new Sustainable Energy Utility has begun installing FranklinWH systems in the Bryant neighborhood, testing a municipal model for grid resilience and energy equity.

The upcoming Solar Manufacturing USA 2026 conference in Austin will focus on real U.S. solar manufacturing progress, shifting attention from capacity announcements to actual production, costs, yields, and technology choices across the full value chain. It will also examine how policy changes and tariffs are driving domestic expansion in ingots, wafers, cells, and modules, while highlighting competing technologies like back contact, heterojunction and TOPCon.

ESS Tech is complementing its iron flow storage offering, which is engeeneered for the 8–24 hour long-duration segment, with sodium-ion battery products aimed at short and medium-duration applications.